jra 

!  i  i  i !  i  rr  n  n  - 


GIFT  OF 

H  - 


VOCAL   AND    LITERARY 

INTERPRETATION 

OF  THE   BIBLE 


VOCAL   AND    LITERARY 

INTERPRETATION 

OF   THE   BIBLE 


BY 


S.   S.   CURRY,   PH.D. 


ACTING    DAVIS    PROFESSOR    OF    ELOCUTION    AT    NEWTON    THEOLOGICAL    INSTITUTION; 

FORMERLY  SNOW  PROFESSOR  OF  ORATORY,  BOSTON  UNIVERSITY,  AND  INSTRUCTOR 

IN  ELOCUTION,  YALE  AND  HARVARD  DIVINITY  SCHOOLS;    PRESIDENT 

SCHOOL  OF  EXPRESSION,   BOSTON 


INTRODUCTION  BY 
FRANCIS   G.    PEABODY,   D.D. 

DEAN  OF  THE  DIVINITY  SCHOOL  OF  HARVARD  UNIVERSITY 


HODDER  &  STOUGHTON 

NEW  YORK 
GEORGE  H.  DORAN  COMPANY 


COPYRIGHT,  1903, 
BY  THE  MACMILLAN   COMPANY. 


Set  up  and  clectrotyped.    Published  October,  1903.     Reprinted 
July,  1907;  July,  1909;  July,  November,  igio  ;  April,  1912. 


31ft 


Norton oto 

J.  8.  Cashing  Co.  —  Berwick  &  Smith  Co. 
Norwood,  Mass.,  U.S.A. 


TO  THOSE 
WHEREVER  FOUND 

IN  WHOM 

THESE  WORDS  AWAKEN 
ANY  MEMORIES 


264188 


PREFACE 

/ 

WHO  has  not  felt  dissatisfaction  with  the  way  the 
Bible  is  read  in  public?  Yet  few  realize  how  difficult 
it  is  to  render  the  Scriptures  by  the  voice. 

Vocal  expression  needs  the  insight,  criticism,  and  per- 
sonal attention  of  a  teacher.  Yet,  since  all  true  art  is 
founded,  not  upon  imitation,  but  upon  principles,  I  hope 
that  those  who  carefully  follow  the  suggestions  of  this 
book  will  find  practical  help  in  realizing  their  needs  and 
possibilities  and  aid  in  teaching  the  Bible  to  classes  or 
interpreting  it  in  the  pulpit  or  on  the  platform. 

The  book  is  intended  for  serious  study,  and  not 
for  entertainment.  Accordingly,  some  repetitions  have 
been  necessary;  for  example,  there  are  a  dozen  kinds 
of  monotony,  —  some  connected  with  change  of  pitch, 
others  with  pause,  others  with  tone-color,  others  with 
inflection.  All  these  varieties  are  distinct  from  one 
another,  and  if  discussed  at  one  time  would  hardly  be 
understood.  Again,  the  same  passage  is  occasionally 
used  as  an  illustration  of  more  than  one  principle,  to 
show  the  necessity  of  studying  a  lesson  from  different 
points  of  view,  and  also  to  emphasize  the  importance 
of  the  union  of  vocal  modulations  in  expression.  The 
student  is  recommended  to  select  some  important 
passage,  such  as  John  ix.  or  Luke  xv.  11-32,  and  to 
test  every  principle,  successively,  by  this  one  lesson. 


viii  PREFACE 

No  one  should  get  the  idea  that  some  specific  modula- 
tion or  method  of  reading  is  applicable  to  only  one 
verse  or  passage. 

There  is  no  absolutely  fixed  method  according  to 
which  any  sentence  of  Scripture  must  always  be  read. 
Most  passages  are  capable  of  many  renderings,  accord- 
ing to  the  understanding,  feeling,  and  personality  of 
the  reader.  The  interpretations  of  specific  passages, 
and  modes  of  rendering  them,  must  be  taken  as  sug- 
gestions or  illustrations  of  principles.  It  is  always 
helpful  to  realize  a  definite  point  of  view.  A  principle 
can  be  illustrated  best  by  specific  examples  of  expres- 
sion, and  in  every  case  the  reader  should  test  the 
rendering  by  actual  practice.  An  interpretation  should 
never  be  passively  accepted.  Not  only  the  particular 
renderings  suggested,  but  others,  should  be  observed 
and  brought  to  the  test  of  demonstration. 
/  During  the  past  twenty-five  years,  the  writer  has 
'  endeavored  to  aid  many  to  read  the  Bible  aloud.  If 
the  reader  feels  that  the  results  here  embodied  are 
inadequate,  let  him  rest  assured  that  no  one  will 
agree  with  him  more  quickly  than  the  author.  It  is 
well,  however,  to  remember  that  the  book  has  had 
no  predecessor.  A  few  words  on  the  neglect  of  vocal 
interpretation,  or  a  short  article  on  its  importance,  are 
all  that  can  be  found. 

The  author's  greatest  debt  is  due  to  those  now  pub- 
licly reading  the  Bible  in  all  parts  of  the  world  whom 
he  has  endeavored  to  teach.  Their  earnest  endeavors 
have  been  the  author's  chief  inspiration  and  help. 


IN   GENERAL 


I.    THE   OFFICE 

I.  The  problem  of  Bible  reading  will  be  best  understood  by  first 
studying  the  function  of  the  BIBLE  IN  WORSHIP.    A  service  consists 
of  three  offices :  The  leader  speaks  in  ( i )  the  Sermon  as  man  to  men  ; 
in  (2)  Public  Prayer  as  man  to  God ;  but  in  (3)  the  Scripture  Les- 
son from  God  to  man. 

II.  The  ideal  function  is  made  clearer  by  observing  the  CUSTOM 
AND  PRACTICE.     Bible  reading  was  the  most  important  element  in 
the  worship  of  the  early  Church,  but  it  is  greatly  neglected  at  the 
present  time. 

III.  To  find  a  method  of  improving  Bible  reading,  the  GENERAL 
NATURE  OF  VOCAL  EXPRESSION  should  be  understood.     (il_A 
few  simple  Elementary  Modulations  of  the  Voice  form  the  reader's 
vocabulary.     A  pause  before  a  phrase  shows  attention  or  the  recep- 
tion of  the  impression ;  touch  indicates  where  the  mind  is  concen- 
trated ;   a  change  of  pitch,  the  discrimination  of  idea  from  idea ; 
inflection^the  attitude  of  the  speaker  or  his  sense  of  the  relation 
of  ideas  to  each  other,  to  his  purpose,  or  to  his  audience.    Feeling 
is  manifested  by  tone-color  or  the  emotional  modulation  of  the  reso- 
nance of  the  voice;   while   movement   changes   according  to  the 
reader's  estimate  of  the  value  of  what  he  says.     (2)J/ocal  expres- 
sion is  the  revelation  of  realization,  and  the  problem  of  improving 
it  differs  from  that  of  words.     Vocal  expression,  and  especially  the 
vocal  interpretation  of  the  Bible,  is  subjective  and  difficult,  but 
strangely  neglected. 

II.    THE  MESSAGE 

IV.  The  LITERARY  SPIRIT,  or  the  human  form  of  the  Bible,  must 
be  understood  before  it  can  be  realized  or  expressed  by  the  voice. 

ix 


x  IN   GENERAL 

Vocal  expression  demands  a  childlike  attitude,  free  from  theories. 
The  reader  must  have  critically  studied  and  assimilated  its  deeper 
spirit.  The  Bible  must  be  interpreted  by  the  whole  man. 

V.  The  Story,  or  the  NARRATIVE  SPIRIT,  is  found  all  through 
the  Bible;    and  the  power  to  interpret  it  by  the  voice  must  be 
carefully  mastered. 

VI.  The  Bible  is  full  of  instruction  and  the  DIDACTIC  SPIRIT. 
The  reader  must  make  his  hearer  think,  and  give  truth  as  simply 
and  directly  as  possible. 

VII.  All  forms  of  human  expression  are  found  in  the  Bible.     The 
ORATORIC  SPIRIT,  the  endeavor  of  some  earnest  soul  to  lead  his 
fellow-men  to  higher  convictions,  appears  everywhere,  especially  in 
the  addresses,  or  sermons,  of  the  Prophets,  of  Paul,  and  even  of  the 
Master. 

VIII.  In  all  early  literature  literal  facts,  or  stories,  were  related 
to  indicate  deeper  meaning.     The  ALLEGORIC  SPIRIT  permeates 
the  Bible  more  than  many  realize.     It  demands  that  vocal  expres- 
sion be  very  simple  and  suggestive. 

IX.  The  LYRIC  SPIRIT  reaches  its  greatest  climax  in  the  "sublime 
lyric"  of  the  Bible,  and  its  interpretation  demands  a  quickened 
imagination  and  exalted  feeling. 

X.  The  Bible  interprets  human  character,  and  hence  is  filled  with 
the  DRAMATIC  SPIRIT.    The  intense  realization  of  situation,  human 
motives,  or  difference  in  point  of  view,  should  be  rendered  by  the 
reader  with  sympathy  and  simple  truthfulness. 

XI.  The  sublimest  element  in  human  poetry  is  the  EPIC  SPIRIT. 
The  dramatic  demands  that  the  reader  shall  enter  into  sympathy 
with  his  fellow-men,  the  epic  that  he  shall  be  himself,  and  be 
impressed  by  events  in  relation  to  the  ideals  of  the  race  or  to  the 
plans  of  the  Creator.    The  whole  Bible  is  necessarily  full  of  the 
epic  spirit. 

XII.  The  hardness  of  the  heart  and  the  difficulty  of  teaching 
human  souls  a  higher  truth,  required  of  the  Master  an  ARTISTIC 
METHOD.     He  expressed  an  unrealized  truth  in  a  form  that  could 
be  grasped  and  held  until  it  would  awaken  gradually  a  realization 
of  the  truth.     The  vocal  interpretation  of  such  an  art  demands 
great  suggestiveness  and  artistic  intensity. 

XIII.  The  LITERARY  FORMS  have  not  been  invented,  but  are 


IN  GENERAL  xi 

natural,  and  must  necessarily  be  revealed  by  VOCAL  EXPRESSION. 
The  reader  must  comprehend  the  artistic  nature  of  man  and  the 
suggestive  power  of  the  human  voice  to  intimate  the  sublimest 
truths. 

III.    THE  TECHNIQUE 

XIV.  To  improve  vocal  expression  the  reader  must  be  led  to 
comprehend  and  master  the  RHYTHMIC  ACTIONS  OF  THE  MIND. 
Attention  and  the  progressive  movement  of  the  mind  must  be 
increased. 

XV.  The  rhythm  of  thinking  is  revealed  by  the  RHYTHMIC 
M.QJQLULATION  OF  THE  VOICE.     The  fact  that  the  mind  is  receiving 
any  impression  in  reading  or  speaking  is  shown  by  (i)  pause.     The 
location  of  the  concentration  of  the  mind  is  indicated  by  a  definite 
(2)   touch  upon  the  central  word  of  the   phrase.     The  rhythmic 
movement  of  thinking  shows  itself  by  (3)  phrasing,  or  the  gathering 
of  words  into  groups  around  the  centre  of  attention. 

XVI.  The  mind  not  only  moves  from  idea  to  idea,  but  has  JDjSr 
CRIMINATION   between   ideas.      This   is  of  primary  importance  in 
thinking  and  expression.    Each  idea  must  be  vividly  and  definitely 
grasped. 

XVII.  Every  CHANGE  IN   IDEA   is  shown  by  a  CHANGE  OF 
PITCH.    This  variatioiTof  pitch  is'so  simple,  natural,  anoT7fee  that 
fiTs  often  overlooked.      The  degree  of  variation  is  in  proportion 
to  the  vividness  of  ideas,  and  the  accentuation  of  discrimination 
of  thinking  is  the  primary  means  of  preventing  monotony  —  the 
most  common  fault  in  Bible  reading. 

XVIII.  The  mind  not  only  has  rhythmic  succession,  but  relates 
ideas  to  each  other.    This  METHOD  IN  THINKING  is  the  result  of 
the  deepest  and  most  exalted  action  of  human  reason,  and  demands 
attention  in  reading. 

XIX.  This  logical  instinct,  or  power  of  relating  idea  to  idea,  is 
shown  by  INFLECTION,     (i)  Direction  of  inflection  indicates  the 
attitude  of  theTspeaker's  mind  toward  truth.     (2)  Length  of  inflec- 
tion shows  the  degree  of  earnestness,  or  saliency.     (3)  The  abrupt- 
ness of  inflection,  the  degree  of  control  with  intensity  of  excitement. 
(4)  Straightness  of  inflection    is   in    proportion  to  the  dignity, 


xii  IN  GENERAL 

weight,  and  directness   of  the   expression.      (5)   Inflections  are 
improved  by  developing  the  logical  action  of  the  mind. 

XX.  The  free  expression  of  METHOD  is  shown  by  what  has  been 
called  MELODY.     While  every  word  has  an  inflection,  all  the  words 
of  a  phrase  are  gathered  by  these  inflections  around  the  governing 
one.     This  constitutes  (i)  Conversational  Form,    The  reader  must 
be  as  free  and  flexible  in  revealing  the  great  centres  of  attention  as 
in  natural  conversation.     One  important  element  of  conversational 
melody  is  found  in  (2)  Subordination.     This  is  especially  apt  to  be 
violated  in  Bible  reading.     One  of  the  greatest  difficulties  is  to  place 
unemphatic  parts  in  the  background.    Melody  demands  the  greatest 
possible  (3)  Range.    The  simplest  and  most  common  as  well  as 
the  most  extreme  changes  in  thought  must  be  indicated  by  cor- 
responding changes  of  pitch.     This  is  the  chief  element  in  natu- 
ralness.     Violations  of  the    natural    melody  of  the   voice   have 
been  called  (4)  Ministerial  Tunes.     These  must  be  conquered  by 
genuineness  of  thinking,  by  increasing  the  definite  attention  to 
individual  ideas,  and  by  intensely  and  directly  relating  each  idea 
to  the  whole  truth. 

XXI.  The  reader  of  the  Bible  must  indicate,  by  the  modulations 
of  his  voice,  the  ARGyjvj£NT.     The  degrees  of  prominence  given  to 
ideas  are  infinite  in  number.     A  real  understanding  of  the  passage 
and  a  command  of  the  modulations  of  the  voice,  enable  the  reader 
to  present  the  exact  progression  of  the  thought  in  the  most  weighty 
and  difficult  passages. 

.  XXII.  The  IMAGINATION  has  an  important  FUNCTION  in  finding 
the  ideal  relations  and  sympathetic  bearings  of  truth.  Ideas  must 
be  given  with  atmosphere  and  kinship  to  the  human  soul.  Genuine 
feeling  is  chiefly  dependent  upon  the  imagination,  for  sympathy  is 
\due  to  insight. 

XXIII.  The  presence  of  IMAGINATION  in  EXPRESSION  is  shown 
by  a  more  delicate  and  sympathetic  union  of  all  the  modulations  of 
the  voice.    Tone-color,  or  the  sympathetic  modulation  of  resonance, 
is  its  more  specific  language.     Sameness  of  emotion  must  be  char- 
acterized by  more  definite  and  intense  imaginative  realization  and 
sympathetic  use  of  the  voice. 

XXIV.  The  reader  must  not  only  have  thought,  but  experience ; 
must  not  only  think  and  imagine,  but  feel,  and  must  be  true  to  his 


IN  GENERAL  xiii 

whole  nature.  He  must  adopt  a  definite  point  of  view  and  realize 
a  truth  so  vividly  that  it  must  awaken  the  right  emotion.  The 
dramatic,  or  sympathetic,  instinct  must  lead  the  reader  to  identify 
himself  with  every  situation,  point  of  view,  or  shade  of  experi- 
ence. This  instinct  is  especially  necessary  in  interpreting  the 
many  transitions  found  in  the  Bible. 

XXV.  The  rhythmic  pulsations  of  thinking  and  feeling  are  con- 
tinually varied,  and  express  themselves  by  modifying  the  MOVEMENT 
of  speech.     The  reader  must  reveal  the  relative  importance  of  ideas, 
sentences,  and  paragraphs.     He  must  distinguish  what  he  approves 
from  what  he  disapproves,  what  he  regards  as  negative  from  what 
he  regards  as  positive,  what  is  merely  illustrative   from  what   is 
central.     Movement  indicates  the  genuineness  of  life  and  realiza- 
tion.   Monotony  of  movement  indicates  indifference,  neutrality,  or 
death. 

XXVI.  The  VOICE  MODULATIONS  are  always  in  UNION  with  one 
another.     To  overwork  one  is  to  be  unnatural.     To  exaggerate  one 
at  the  expense  of  others  is  not  emphasis,  but  chaos.     While  accen- 
tuation of  one  is  necessary,  this  demands  also  sympathetic  and  sub- 
ordinate increase  and  union  of  the  others.     There  is  danger  in 
exaggerating  some  one  method  of  emphasis. 

IV.    PREPARATION  AND   THE   SERVICE 

XXVII.  In  addition  to  a  general  knowledge  of  the  spirit  of  the 
Message  and  the  elements  of  vocal  expression,  such  attention  should 
be  given  to  the  SELECTION  and  ARRANGEMENT  of  passages  that  the 
LESSON  may  have  unity. 

XXVIII.  A  lesson  should  be  thoroughly  understood,  and  needs 
special  PREPARATION  every  time  it  is  read. 

XXIX.  In  preparing  the  lesson,  the   reader  can   secure  great 
assistance  by  study  of  the  SPIRIT  OF  THE  GREEK.     Peculiar  shades 
of  meaning,  which  cannot  be  translated  into  English  words,  can 
be  interpreted  by  the  voice,  but  the  Greek  must  be  studied  in  the 
spirit,  and  not  in  the  letter. 

XXX.  The  natural  actions  of  the  mind  are  reflected  in  the 
primitive  SPIRIT  OF  THE  HEBREW.    The  same  principles  apply,  but 
repetition  has  special  force. 


xiv  IN  GENERAL 

XXXI.  The  reader  should  use  artistic  tests  for  SELF-CRITICISM. 
He  must  be  simple  and  truthful.     The  lesson  should  have  unity,  and 
all  modulations  must  harmonize.     Every  modulation  must  be  accen- 
tuated in  such  a  way  as  to  cause  strength,  not  weakness.    All  true 
reading  must  be  reposeful  and  suggestive. 

XXXII.  RESPONSIVE  READING  is  different  in  its  vocal  expression 
from  other  modes   of  rendering  the   Bible.     It  demands  careful 
accentuation  of  rhythm  and  great  decision  of  movement. 

XXXIII.  Some  readers  are  troubled  with  SPECIAL  QUESTIONS. 
No  one  version  is  adapted  to  all.     On  the  whole,  the  American 
Revised  is  best,  or  one  should  be  arranged  carefully  by  the  reader 
himself.     The  whole  body  should  be  expanded  by  emotion,  and 
the  attitude  should   express  the  feelings ;  but  there  should  be  no 
motions  or  superficial  modes  of  expression. 

XXXIV.  The  relations  of  the  Scripture  lesson  to  THE  SERVICE 
should  be  carefully  studied.     The  best  illustration  of  the  different 
elements  of  worship  and  their  relations  is,  possibly,  the  Book  of 
Common  Prayer.     The  outgrowth  of  the  experience  of  Christian 
leaders  in  all  ages,  as  embodied  in  this  and  other  services,  should 
be  carefully  analyzed. 

XXXV.  The  reader  must  be  permeated  with  the  spirit  of  the 
passage.     He  must  command  the  thought,  the  literary  form;   but 
most  of  all,  the  right  feeling  toward  the  truth  must  permeate  his 
being.     A   thorough   study  of  the  problem  is  needed  for  simple 
mastery.      Of  all  exercises,  the  reading  of  the  Bible  takes  the 
deepest  hold  upon  the  human  heart. 


INTRODUCTION 

FEW  persons  who  have  had  any  share  in  training 
men  for  the  Christian  ministry  have  escaped  a  sense  of 
failure  in  teaching  their  students  how  to  read.  No  pro- 
fessional duty  would  seem  to  be  more  elementary.  The 
Bible  is  so  rich  in  dramatic,  lyrical,  and  narrative  inter- 
est, and  the  preacher  is  so  warmly  concerned  with  the 
Biblical  message  he  has  to  bring,  that  nothing  beyond 
reasonable  intelligence  would  appear  to  be  needed  to 
make  the  Bible  lesson  a  stirring,  calming,  or  convincing 
element  in  public  worship.  Most  listeners,  however, 
would  testify  that  no  part  of  worship  is,  as  a  rule,  so 
perfunctory  and  uninspiring.  Very  rarely  are  there  the 
marks  of  careful  study,  spiritual  sympathy,  and  inter- 
pretative power.  It  often  seems  as  if  the  Bible  had 
been  hastily  thrown  open  at  the  lesson  for  the  day  or 
the  passage  containing  the  text,  and  as  if  the  preacher's 
preparation  had  been  reserved  for  what  he  conceived  to 
be  the  more  important  task  of  delivering  his  own  dis- 
course. There  is,  as  this  volume  remarks  (p.  294),  not 
only  "  hard  shell  "  preaching,  but  "  hard  shell "  reading. 
Congregations,  as  the  Prodigal  Son  said  of  himself, 
would  fain  be  filled  with  husks,  and  no  man  gives  to 
them.  The  reading  of  the  Bible  seems  a  part  of  what 
are  sometimes  described  as  "  introductory  exercises,"  re- 
quiring, however,  little  exercise  of  mind  by  the  preacher 


xvi  INTRODUCTION 

and  great  exercise  of  patience  by  the  congregation.  I 
have  even  heard  it  argued  that  the  Bible  ought  to  be 
read  in  an  artificial,  lifeless,  or  stilted  manner,  lest  its 
contents  should  be  confounded  with  ordinary  literature. 
If  the  Bible  has  to  endure  in  many  ministers  the 
results  of  carelessness,  indolence,  or  misplaced  rever- 
ence, it  often  suffers  not  less  from  histrionic  art.  Where 
elocution  has  been  cultivated  by  preachers,  it  has  usually 
been  under  teachers  who  care  more  for  Shakespeare 
than  for  the  Bible;  and  the  consequence  is  often  bad 

•Vacting  of  the  Bible  as  drama,  instead  of  good  reading 
of  the  Bible  as  literature.  If  anything  is  worse  in  the 
pulpit  than  slovenliness,  it  is  excess  of  art.  LOne  who 

Breads  badly  gets  no  attention,  but  one  who  reads  too 
well  calls  attention  to  his  own  performance;  and  it  is 
better  that  the  Bible  reading  should  be  a  time  of  con- 
gregational repose  than  a  time  of  theatrical  effort. 
How  to  interpret  intelligently  but  not  extravagantly, 
with  sympathy  but  without  artificiality,  the  varied  mes- 
sages of  the  Bible,  becomes,  then,  for  the  preacher  a 
serious  duty,  and  is  becoming  almost  a  lost  art.  Of  few 
modern  ministers  can  it  be  affirmed,  as  it  was  said  of 
Channing,  and  as  no  doubt  it  has  been  said  of  many 
spiritual  leaders,  that  to  hear  him  read  the  Bible  was  to 
be  admitted  to  the  very  sources  of  religious  power. 

What  are  the  qualifications  for  such  reading  ?  They 
are  of  two  kinds.  •  On  the  one  hand  are  the  untaught 
gifts  of  discernment,  refinement,  wisdom,  self-efface- 
ment, sympathy.  No  professor  of  elocution  can  make 
an  effective  Bible-reader  out  of  a  light-minded,  conse- 
quential, self-assertive,  or  sentimental  man.  Reading  is 
an  extraordinary  revelation  of  character ;  and  it  would 


INTRODUCTION  xvii 

surprise  many  a  minister  to  be  told  with  what  precision 
his  reading  of  the  Bible  betrayed  affectation,  or  hard- 
ness, or  indolence,  or  conceit.  On  the  other  hand,  there 
are  many  traits  of  effective  Bible  reading  which  can  be 
easily  acquired  by  a  teachable  man.  He  can  be  saved 
from  artificiality,  corrected  in  blunders,  disciplined  in  a 
rational  use  of  the  voice,  restrained  from  employing  the 
nose  or  throat  as  organs  of  expression,  and,  more  than 
all,  encouraged  to  take  pains,  and  to  be  ashamed  of 
appearing  before  his  congregation  with  a  Bible  passage 
unstudied,  haltingly  delivered,  or  misunderstood. 

It  is  a  satisfaction  to  commend  a  book  which  ap- 
proaches its  subject  with  this  rational  intention,  and 
which  is,  I  think,  both  in  its  method  and  its  spirit  prac- 
tically without  precedent.  Dr.  Curry  has  not  only  long 
experience  in  dealing  with  the  technical  needs  of 
preachers,  but  sympathy  with  the  ideals  of  the  profes- 
sion. His  instruction  has  been  marked  by  sanity,  mod- 
eration, adaptability,  and  an  acquaintance  with  the  Bible 
which  goes  far  beyond  its  language  and  form.  He  now 
presents  in  a  single  volume  the  experience  of  a  life- 
time ;  and  his  teaching  should  bring  to  many  preachers 
instruction,  suggestion,  warning,  and  courage. 


FRANCIS   G.   PEABODY. 


HARVARD  DIVINITY  SCHOOL, 

CAMBRIDGE,  MASS. 

September,  1903. 


CONTENTS 

I.  THE   PROBLEM 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.     The  Bible  in  Worship 3 

II.     Custom  and  Practice 17 

III.  General  Nature  of  Vocal  Expression         ...  24 

II.  THE   MESSAGE 

IV.  The  Literary  Spirit  .         •  ^*  43 
V.     The  Narrative  Spirit     ^\ 59 

VI.     The  Didactic  Spirit 67  \ 

VII.     The  Oratoric  Spirit 71  \ 

VIII.     The  Allegoric  Spirit .83 

IX.     The  Lyric  Spirit 86  ( 

X.     The  Dramatic  Spirit   / 93 

XI.     The  Epic  Spirit 104  , 

XII.     The  Art  of  the  Master 117 

XIII.  Literary  Spirit  and  Vocal  Expression        .        .        .  133 

III.     THE  TECHNIQUE 

XIV.  Rhythmic  Actions  of  Mind 139 

XV.     Rhythmic  Modulations  of  Voice        .        .        .        .143 

XVI.     Discrimination  in  Thinking 156 

XVII.     Change  of  Ideas  and  Pitch 160 

XVIII.     Method  in  Thinking 167 

xix 


XX 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PACK 

XIX.  Inflection 172 

XX.  Method  and  Melody 184 

XXI.  The  Argument t  197 

XXII.  Function  of  the  Imagination  .        ....  212 

XXIII.  Expression  of  Imagination 224 

XXIV.  Assimilation  or  Sympathetic  Identification     .         .  233 
XXV.  Movement 244 

XXVI.  Correlation  of  the  Voice  Modulations     .        .         .258 


IV.     PREPARATION  AND  THE   SERVICE 

XXVII.  Selection  and  Arrangement  of  the  Lesson      .         .  287 

XXVIII.  The  Preparation  of  the  Lesson       .        .        .        .293 

XXIX.     The  Spirit  of  the  Greek 298 

XXX.     The  Spirit  of  the  Hebrew 311 

XXXI.     Self-criticism 317 

XXXII.     Responsive  Reading 328 

XXXIII.  Some  Special  Questions 331 

XXXIV.  Harmony  of  the  Service 337 

XXXV.    The  Reader's  Attitude 355 


I 

THE   PROBLEM 


I.     THE   BIBLE   IN   WORSHIP 

PUBLIC  worship  includes  at  least  three  elements  in 
which  the  minister  must  lead.  These  are  the  sermon, 
prayer,  and  Scripture  reading.  They  not  only  call  for 
difference  in  the  attitude  of  mind  in  thinking  and  feel- 
ing, but  require  diverse  expression  by  the  reader's  voice. 
The  sermon  has  its  own  importance,  at  times  exaggerated 
in  public  thought ;  every  one  feels  that  prayer  is  not  to 
be  voiced  in  tones  of  argument  or  discussion;  but  the 
function  of  Scripture  reading  and  the  true  method  of 
its  expression  seem  to  be  little  considered  or  wholly 
misunderstood. 

In  studying  this  neglected  part  of  public  worship  it 
will  be  helpful  first  to  consider  briefly  the  general  nature, 
function,  and  right  vocal  expression  of  the  sermon  and 
of  prayer,  and  to  compare  them  with  the  reading  of 
the  Scripture.  This  will  not  only  aid  in  giving  a  more 
adequate  conception  of  the  peculiar  character  of  the 
Scripture  lesson,  but  will  tend  to  correct  the  view  that 
expression  is  an  external  and  arbitrary  thing.  Form 
and  spirit  must  be  studied  together.  Expression  grows 
naturally  and  inevitably  out  of  the  reader's  own  grasp 
of  the  meaning  of  that  which  he  communicates  to  others. 
It  is  not  a  veneer  applied  by  mechanical  rules  from 
without.  It  expresses  the  knowledge  and  emotion  of 
him  who  uses  it,  as  naturally  as  leaves  express  the  life 
of  the  tree. 


4  THE   PROBLEM 

I.  The  Sermon.  —  The  preacher  must  be  a  man  to 
men,  and  speak  out  of  his  own  experience.  The  whole 
spirit  of  a  sermon  must  centre  in  his  personal  realization 
of  life. 

Professor  Granger,  in  his  study  of  the  Psychology  of 
the  Religious  Experience,  has  shown  that  a  sermon  rarely 
affords  a  basis  for  the  study  of  experience,  because  it 
seldom  reveals  sincerely  "  the  soul  of  the  preacher  as  it 
is  in  the  sight  of  the  Eternal."  A  sermon  endeavors  to 
comfort  and  console,  and  the  preacher  is  carried  beyond 
his  own  experience  by  his  desire  to  make  an  impression. 
Yet  Professor  Granger,  while  making  these  qualifica- 
tions, suggests  that  there  have  been  preachers  who 
made  their  own  interior  life  "  the  key  by  which  to  un- 
lock the  hearts"  of  their  auditors;  who,  having  been 
sincere  with  themselves  first,  have  then  spoken  as  men 
to  men.  But  this  can  be  done  only  in  the  language  of 
the  soul,  a  dialect  which  each  must  construct  for  him- 
self, "from  his  own  heartstrings." 

The  best  sermon  is  that  which  has  in  it  most  of 
human  experience.  There  must  be  no  urging  of  author- 
ity, or  mere  presentation  of  theories  and  views.  What- 
ever is  said  must  come  from  the  soul  of  the  man.  In 
the  same  way,  the  true  delivery  of  a  sermon  is  the 
presentation  of  the  man  himself  with  his  truth.  The 
natural  modulations  of  the  voice  reveal  not  so  much  the 
product  as  the  processes  of  thinking  and  feeling.  The 
study  of  delivery  is  really  the  study  of  the  relations 
between  what  is  said  and  the  speaker's  own  nature  and 
character.  The  qualities  which  make  delivery  effective 
are  sympathy,  earnestness,  and  seriousness.  The  true 
preacher  must  be  able  to  enter  into  sympathetic  relations 


THE   BIBLE  IN  WORSHIP  5 

with  all  phases  of  human  experience.  The  less  a  man 
is  isolated,  the  more  complete  his  realization  of  spiritual 
truth.  It  was  the  first  murderer  who  asked,  "Am  I 
my  brother's  keeper  ? " 

In  proportion  to  a  man's  power  to  feel  the  common 
experience  of  the  race  as  revealed  in  the  depths  of  his 
own  nature  will  his  spiritual  teaching  become  natural 
and  effective.  "  The  seer  is  always  the  sayer."  In 
proportion  to  a  man's  insight,  in  proportion  to  the  depth 
of  his  feeling,  will  he  be  able  to  speak  truth  for  comfort 
and  help  to  his  fellow-men.  That  is  a  sentimental  and 
false  teaching  which  declares  that  when  the  soul  comes 
into  a  realization  of  the  Divine  it  is  separated  from  the 
world,  becoming  a  mere  spectator  of  the  human  drama 
and  losing  interest  in  the  struggle  of  the  race.  The 
true  and  deep  We  of  the  soul  shows  itself  in  love  for 
others  in  a  desire  to  raise  the  fallen,  to  strengthen  the 
weak,  and  to  inspire  the  faint-hearted.  The  soul  of  the 
true  preacher  must  realize  the  omnipresence,  the  omni- 
science, and  the  omnipotence  of  the  Divine  Spirit  in 
human  life,  must  realize  that  the  Creator's  plan  is  love 
and  providential  care,  and  that  men  have  infinite 
possibilities. 

Delivery  is  an  essential  part  of  a  sermon  —  no  true 
sermon  can  be  completely  printed.  Whitefield  was  per- 
haps the  most  effective  preacher  who  ever  used  the 
English  tongue ;  but  his  sermons  are  almost  unreadable. 
Words  are  but  imperfect  and  one-sided  symbols  of  truth ; 
the  living  action,  the  throb  of  the  soul's  life,  which  are 
revealed  through  the  modulations  of  action  and  tone, 
can  never  be  recorded. 

Yet  the  delivery  of  the  sermon  is  more  simple  than 


6  THE  PROBLEM 

any  other  mode  of  vocal  expression  peculiar  to  the 
pulpit.  Oratory  is  expanded  conversation,  the  exten- 
sion of  the  range  of  voice  as  found  in  everyday  speech. 
When  faults  occur  in  the  delivery  of  the  sermon,  there 
is  some  departure  from  the  elemental  modulations  of 
conversation.  The  minister  can  at  any  time  compare 
his  public  speaking  with  his  conversation.  Any  man 
with  a  tendency  to  drift  can  correct  this  fault  in  a  meas- 
ure by  addressing  men  in  a  direct  and  simple  way, 
enlarging  for  his  congregation  the  natural  method 
employed  in  speaking  to  one. 

We  must  not  infer,  however,  that  the  development  of 
oratoric  delivery  does  not  require  hard  work.  These 
elementary  modulations  of  the  voice  in  common  conver- 
sation need  to  be  studied  thoroughly,  the  function  of 
each  realized,  and  the  harmonious  union  of  all  mastered. 
In  extending  the  elements  of  conversational  form  many 
enlarge  some  of  the  weaker  factors,  such  as  loudness, 
and  eliminate  changes  of  pitch,  pause,  and  inflection, 
and  develop  unnaturalness.  No  element  of  conversa- 
tion should  be  absent.  The  higher  modulations  of  tone- 
color  and  variation  of  movement  should  be  still  more 
accentuated,  together  with  straightness  of  inflection. 
But  conversation  must  always  be  the  basis ;  and  the 
remedy  for  defects  must  ever  be  found  in  giving  the 
thought  as  directly  as  possible  to  one  person  and  noting 
the  natural  modulations  of  everyday  speech. 

2.  Public  Prayer.  —  Public  prayer  is  one  of  the  most 
difficult  of  all  the  functions  a  minister  has  to  discharge. 
Fewer  attain  success  'in  this  than  in  any  other  part  of 
the  service.  According  to  President  Eliot,  it  was  the 
prayer  of  Phillips  Brooks  when  Lowell's  "  Commemora- 


THE   BIBLE   IN   WORSHIP  7 

tion  Ode "  was  read  at  Harvard  which  made  men  feel 
that  he  was  a  great  spiritual  leader.  Those  who  heard 
that  prayer  ever  afterward  regarded  him  as  one  of  the 
spiritual  forces  of  the  age. 

Prayer  is  not  primarily  petition.  No  soul  can  talk  to 
another  soul  as  it  can  to  God,  who  is,  as  Augustine  has 
said,  "  the  life  of  our  life."  To  many  the  primary  idea 
of  prayer  is  simply  the  asking  for  something  which  we 
do  not  have,  and  too  often  it  is  a  kind  of  spiritual  beg- 
gary or  even  worse.  Prayer,  in  its  essence,  should  be 
the  soul's  realization  of  its  vital  relation  to  the  universal 
and  indwelling  Spirit. 

Mrs.  Browning  has  said  that  in  the  deepest  agony  the 
soul's  only  prayer  is  "  O  God !  "  because  we  want  God 
Himself  rather  than  anything  He  can  do  for  us.  Some 
one  is  sick  and  far  from  home.  There  is  a  longing  for 
the  mother  —  not  for  her  services,  that  she  may  watch 
by  night  and  day,  but  for  her  simple  presence.  So  the 
deepest  aspiration  of  the  human  soul  is  for  a  conscious- 
ness of  the  infinite  Presence,  for  a  realization  of  Spirit, 
an  awareness  of  that  Being  "  whose  centre  is  everywhere 
and  circumference  nowhere."  The  deepest  of  all  prayers 
is,  "Thy  will  be  done"  (Matt.  vi.  10).  Here  is  no  ob- 
jective petition;  all  is  subjective.  The  finite  soul  seeks 
to  relate  its  consciousness  to  the  eternal  consciousness. 
Aspiration  can  go  no  farther. 

*.  Prayer  is  the  manifestation  of  receptivity.  It  is  pri- 
marily a  willingness  and  an  aspiration  to  receive.  God 
cannot  be  persuaded ;  no  one  with  an  adequate  concep- 
tion of  the  nature  of  divine  love  believes  in  his  heart 
that  He  needs  persuasion.  Prayer  reveals  the  attitude 
of  the  human  being.  It  manifests  the  mystic  relation  of 


8  THE   PROBLEM 

the  soul,  face  to  face,  with  that  which  cannot  be  seen, 
with  the  Infinite  through  that  door  of  consciousness  which 
opens  inward  to  the  spiritual  Presence. 

Prayer,  as  a  part  of  public  worship,  differs  from  all 
other  modes  of  expression.  A  long  verbal  prayer  giving 
information  to  Deity  is  irreverent.  It  is  to  be  hoped 
that  the  religious  consciousness  in  the  churches  may  be 
so  developed  that  a  prayer  containing  the  news  of  the 
week,  or  a  long  catalogue  of  petitions  for  things  which 
are  not  expected,  and  which,  if  granted,  would  produce 
astonishment,  will  be  regarded  as  blasphemous.  Is  the 
prevalence  of  such  a  custom,  one  of  the  causes,  or  one 
of  the  signs,  of  the  lack  of  reverence  and  true  spiritual 
insight  in  our  time  ? 

One  of  the  common  faults  in  public  prayer  is  the  ap- 
parent conception  of  a  Deity  external  to  the  soul.  We 
must  feel  not  only  that  God  is  near  but  that  He  is 
within.  "The  kingdom  of  God  cometh  not  with  ob- 
servation "  (Luke  xvii.  20),  not  outwardly  or  with  show. 
The  Spirit  is  working  within  to  will  and  do.  "  In  Him 
we  live  and  move  and  have  our  being  "  (Acts  xvii.  28). 
He  is  everywhere,  not  as  a  mere  external  presence, — 
He  is  everywhere,  the  indwelling  source  of  all  life.  God 
is  immanent.  He  is  not  a  being  who  is  above  the  world, 
beyond  human  conception,  to  which  the  soul  must  call 
from  a  distance,  from  a  far  country. 

To  lead  others  in  prayer,  to  lead  them  to  spiritual 
communion,  a  man  must  believe  that  God  is  omnipresent, 
and  as  much  in  his  own  soul  as  anywhere  else  in  the 
universe.  In  the  words  quoted  by  Paul  (Rom.  x.  6-8) 
from  Deuteronomy  (xxx.  11-14),  the  leader  of  public 
prayer  must  feel  that  "The  word  is  nigh  thee,  in  thy 
mouth,  and  in  thy  heart," 


THE   BIBLE   IN  WORSHIP  9 

All  prayer  is  lyric  in  its  substance  and  spirit.  The 
fundamental  element  in  lyric  poetry  is  the  exalted  emo- 
tional realization  of  a  single  idea  or  situation.  Can  any 
one  fail  to  see  that  prayer  is  different  from  preaching  ? 
Preaching  is  objective,  —  the  direct  talking  of  one  indi- 
vidual with  others.  It  is  soul  thinking  with  soul,  one 
human  being  exhorting  another.  But  prayer  is  aspira- 
tion; it  is  an  unseen  mystic  communion,  and  purely 
subjective.  It  cannot  be  objective.  Even  public  or 
common  prayer  must  be  the  leading  of  souls  to  look 
within,  to  find  the  infinite  Spirit,  to  realize  the  universal 
infinite  Presence. 

Notwithstanding  this  important  distinction,  the  vocal 
expression  of  prayer,  the  modulations  of  the  voice,  and 
evidently  the  mental  actions  are  too  often  the  same  in 
prayer  as  in  the  sermon.  The  inflections  are  often  col- 
loquial and  careless. 

Some  clergymen  adopt  cold  and  meaningless  forms, 
phrases,  or  tones,  unconsciously  absorbed  from  others. 
The  constant  repetition  of  the  name  of  Deity  shows  a 
failure  to  realize  the  true  subjective  and  mystic  character 
of  devotion.  The  sublimest  prayers  rarely  use  the  con- 
ventional names  of  Deity.  The  calling  of  a  name  with- 
out making  the  congregation  realize  what  it  means  must 
be  very  close  to  profanity. 

Prayer  as  a  mode  of  utterance  belongs  to  vocal  ex- 
pression, and  the  highest  possible  act  of  expression 
is  to  suggest  the  soul's  conception  of  the  character  of 
God.  The  Spoken  Word  is  the  one  mode  of  expression 
that  can  do  this.  Its  sublime  dignity  as  an  art  is  shown 
by  the  fact  that  no  words,  no  attitudes,  no  actions,  can 
\ntimate  so  well  the  soul's  realisation  of  the  Infinite  and 


10  THE   PROBLEM 

the  Eternal.  It  is  not  words  that  make  prayer  but  the 
attitude  of  the  soul ;  and  this  is  revealed  by  modulations 
of  the  voice.  The  words  must  be  simple  and  suggestive. 
They  are,  of  course,  necessary,  but  they  may  be  spoken 
so  as  to  indicate  that  the  heart  of  the  man,  at  that  par- 
ticular instant,  is  not  thinking  or  realizing  the  ideas 
implied.  The  voice  manifests  the  soul  and  its  relations  to 
God.  The  word  is  but  a  simple  representation  of  the  idea. 

If  the  nature  of  the  prayer  is  in  itself  rarely  under- 
stood, the  vocal  expression  of  prayer  is  still  more  diffi- 
cult. The  subject  needs  careful  and  thorough  illustra- 
tion. Prayer  can  hardly  be  practised  as  a  form  of  vocal 
expression,  for  criticism,  or  as  a  special  problem.  The 
best  method  is  to  practise  some  poem  embodying  prayer, 
or  to  read  aloud  devotional  portions  of  the  Bible.  It  is 
easy  to  explain  to  a  man  the  delivery  of  a  sermon, 
because  this  is  on  a  more  human  plane.  But  it  is  far 
more  difficult  to  show  how  the  genuine  prayer  of  the 
soul  is  expressed  by  the  voice. 

Prayer  is  always  suggestive  and  subjective.  As  the 
noblest  aspiration  of  the  soul,  it  calls  for  the  most  spir- 
itual modulations  of  the  voice  and  deepest  unity  of 
all  the  elements  of  naturalness.  The  outward  test  of 
whether  the  man  is  praying  or  not  is  shown  by  vocal 
expression,  for  prayer  is  an  attitude  of  soul. 

3.  The  Scripture  Lesson.  —  This  is  distinct  from  the 
sermon  and  the  prayer,  and  yet  not  less  important.  In 
the  sermon  a  man  speaks  to  men ;  in  prayer  he  speaks 
as  man  to  God ;  but  in  the  lesson  he  must  realize  that  he 
is  interpreting  God's  revealed  will,  and  manifesting  the 
sources  of  his  own  authority.  He  must  in  some  sense 
voice  God's  message  to  men. 


THE   BIBLE  IN  WORSHIP  n 

Every  devout  soul  believes  that  the  Bible  is  somehow 
the  embodiment  of  revelation,  —  that  the  most  human  of 
books  is  for  this  very  reason  the  most  divine.  In  it  we 
find  the  record  of  the  human  race,  successive  stages  of 
culture,  successive  conceptions  of  God,  and  the  succes- 
sive rebellions  and  degenerate  reactions  in  the  spiritual 
history  of  mankind.  Everywhere  we  find  the  mark  of 
human  history.  The  men  are  such  as  we  should  expect 
in  the  age  in  which  they  are  supposed  to  live.  The 
record  is  marked  by  perfect  human  truthfulness.  Mis- 
takes and  failures  are  written  down  with  accuracy.  In 
fact,  the  honest  record  of  sins  and  imperfections  is  one 
of  the  chief  marks  of  its  authenticity.  Whatever  may 
be  our  views  of  inspiration,  however  men  may  interpret 
the  fundamental  spirit  of  the  Books,  to  whatever  school 
of  criticism  they  may  belong,  —  to  all  men  the  Bible  is 
the  record  of  the  spiritual  experiences  of  the  race.  It  is 
a  revelation  of  the  divine  will  as  the  soul  has  realized  it, 
and  of  the  divine  life  as  it  has  been  manifested  in  the 
human  heart.  And  all  can  join  with  one  of  the  greatest 
critics,  and  say,  "  He  only  is  a  heretic  who  does  not 
study  his  Bible  and  does  not  study  it  thoroughly." 

The  reading  of  the  Bible  must  in  some  sense  mean 
the  interpretation  of  the  Divine  Spirit  and  will  to  the 
hearts  of  men.  Inspiration  may  be  understood  as  direct 
or  indirect,  complete  or  progressive,  yet  to  all  the  Bible 
is  in  some  sense  God's  revelation  of  His  plans  and  will 
concerning  every  individual  of  the  race.  The  public 
reading  of  the  Scriptures  is  an  endeavor  to  interpret 
universal  spiritual  experience.  Such  an  exercise  must 
awaken  the  aspiration  of  the  worshippers  to  receive  a 
message  from  the  universal  Father. 


12  THE   PROBLEM 

In  the  public  reading  of  the  Scriptures  we  find  a  new 
and  distinct  phase  of  vocal  expression.  Thought  is  not 
given  by  the  reader  as  if  it  came  from  his  own  mind,  or 
a  message  from  his  own  personality,  but  as  something 
coming  to  his  own  soul  as  well  as  to  the  souls  of  others. 
He  expresses  an  idea  not  merely  for  its  own  sake ;  he 
interprets  truly  the  impression  it  is  producing  upon  him- 
self. Each  idea  is  not  only  coming  to  him  but  coming 
from  a  higher  source,  from  a  deeper  life  than  his  own. 
Bible  reading  is  unique  in  its  expression  of  a  message 
for  which  we  long,  and  which  we  are  ourselves  receiving 
from  above,  from  within. 

As  Professor  Monroe  has  said,  "To  read  the  Scrip- 
tures, enjoin  the  truth  upon  yourself  and  upon  other 
men."  We  include  ourselves  with  others.  We  enjoin 
the  truth  upon  ourselves  first.  The  enjoining  of  it  upon 
other  men  is  secondary  to  this,  and  a  result  of  this  sub- 
jective realization.  A  man  must  show  his  fellow-men 
that  truth  is  coming  to  him  from  a  divine  source.  A 
genuine  interpreter  of  the  Bible  messages  will  speak  in 
some  sense  from  the  Divine  Spirit. 

The  reading  of  the  Scriptures  is  not  for  entertain- 
ment. It  is  more  than  instruction.  It  is  not  an  intro- 
duction to  a  sermon.  It  is  not  a  sermon  in  itself.  It  is 
behind  all  sermons.  It  is  the  expression  of  the  fact  that 
all  souls  are  equal,  that  all  souls  stand  in  the  same  rela- 
tion to  the  infinite  All-father.  It  is  not  the  expression 
of  one  soul  to  another,  except  as  it  is  a  suggestion  that 
both  are  receiving  a  common  message. 

A  man  may  stand  upon  a  high  mountain  and  with  a 
little  glass  throw  a  reflection  of  the  great  sun  to  the 
valley  below.  The  little  flash  of  light  may  carry  a  mes- 


THE   BIBLE   IN   WORSHIP  13 

sage  to  his  friends,  or  be  a  signal  to  a  far-off  garrison. 
So  the  individual  soul  may  reflect  the  Sun  of  suns.  A 
reader  can  reflect  by  the  voice  to  other  souls  the  life  of 
the  Divine.  The  little  mirror  may  seem  totally  inade- 
quate, but  it  can  reflect  the  sun.  When  the  Bible  is 
read  with  genuineness  and  simplicity,  no  art  is  more 
sublime,  nothing  moves  more  deeply  the  hearts  of  a 
congregation. 

The  reading  of  the  Scriptures  must  seem  to  come 
from  a  deep  realization  of  the  Infinite.  It  should  never 
be  dogmatic,  and  rarely  didactic.  It  must  be  sugges- 
tive, must  reveal  the  soul's  deepest  conviction.  The 
reader  is  not  dwelling  in  external  experience,  but  is 
reflecting  the  profoundest  attitude  of  his  soul  toward 
infinite  Truth. 

Does  not  the  right  reading  of  the  Scriptures,  there- 
fore, require  the  realization  of  the  sublime  ideal  of  the 
mystic  and  contemplative  spirit  ?  In  a  sermon  we 
demand  vigorous  thought  and  reasoning,  feeling,  and 
love  of  mankind,  because  man  is  speaking  from  his  soul 
to  his  fellow-men.  In  prayer  we  demand  a  man's  reali- 
zation of  the  character  of  God  as  he  leads  us  to  His 
presence ;  we  expect  his  sympathy  to  enable  us  to  look 
inward,  from  the  objective  to  the  subjective,  from  the 
finite  to  the  infinite.  But  in  the  reading  of  the  Scrip- 
ture lesson  we  expect  him  to  turn  back  to  us  and  give 
us  something  of  the  revelation  of  the  infinite  Word. 

The  reading  of  the  Scriptures  should  not  be  pedantic. 
The  authority  of  the  reader  is  not  his  own,  though  he 
must  speak  "as  one  having  authority,  and  not  as  the 
scribes."  Is  there  any  other  form  of  expression,  unless 
it  be  that  of  prayer,  in  which  the  soul  more  simply 


14  THE  PROBLEM 

reveals  its  realization,  more  directly  expresses  its  feeling 
as  light  is  shed  from  the  sun  ? 

Imagine  that  you  are  called  upon  to  read  a  letter 
from  a  mother  to  a  son  who  is  blind.  Will  you  endeavor 
to  exhibit  your  elocutionary  powers,  your  fine  pronuncia- 
tion, your  superior  understanding  ?  Will  you  endeavor 
to  charm  and  fascinate  one  who  is  thinking,  not  of  you, 
but  of  his  mother,  or  seek  to  gain  his  attention  by  pecul- 
iar technical  inflections,  so  as  to  project  into  the  words 
of  the  mother  meanings  peculiar  to  yourself  ?  As  you 
look  into  that  serious  face,  you  remember  that  the  letter 
will  touch  deeper  chords  than  you  can  reach.  There 
are  ties  between  that  blind  boy  and  his  mother  with 
which  you  have  nothing  to  do.  With  the  utmost  sim- 
plicity, with  the  most  direct  truthfulness,  with  as  little 
as  possible  of  your  own  personal  experience,  with  less 
of  your  own  personal  expression  than  ever  before,  you 
will  seek  to  transmit  to  the  boy  the  message  which  to 
him  is  sacred. 

Every  time  a  man  reads  the  Scripture  he  will  cause 
chords  to  vibrate,  not  merely  between  his  heart  and  the 
hearts  of  his  fellow-men,  but  between  other  souls  and 
the  infinite  Over-soul.  He  knows,  if  he  has  any  true 
conception  of  what  he  is  doing,  that  he  is  treading  upon 
holy  ground,  and  takes  off  the  shoes  of  his  own  per- 
sonal whims,  of  all  artificial  theatric  personations,  to 
speak  with  the  utmost  simplicity,  knowing  that  the 
words  will  awaken,  not  only  memory  of  a  mother's  or  of 
a  father's  voice,  which  may  long  have  been  silent,  but 
echoes  of  the  soul's  own  life.  Each  soul  has  an  open 
door  into  the  Infinite,  and  through  this  door  of  con- 
sciousness only  the  Infinite  and  Eternal  enter.  Any 


THE   BIBLE   IN   WORSHIP  15 

reverent  reader  of  the  Scriptures  knows  that  his  little 
knock  at  the  door  of  the  senses  is  but  to  call  the  atten- 
tion of  the  soul  to  the  knock  of  an  inner  infinite  visitor. 
He  feels  that  God  is  nearer  every  soul  than  he  himself 
can  ever  be. 

A  story  told  by  Moody  has  gone  the  rounds  of  all  the 
evangelists.  In  the  old  mining  days  of  California,  a 
young  man  left  his  father's  home  in  the  East  in  great 
anger,  and  sought  that  wild  region.  For  long  years  the 
heart-broken  father  waited  for  some  message,  but  none 
ever  came.  At  last  a  neighbor  was  preparing  to  make 
a  journey  into  the  far  West.  The  father  came  to  him 
and  said,  "  I  want  you,  if  you  ever  find  my  boy,  to  tell 
him  that  his  father  loves  him  still."  The  neighbor, 
knowing  the  circumstances  and  feeling  deep  sympathy 
for  the  father's  sorrow,  took  great  pains  wherever  he 
went  to  make  inquiries  for  the  young  man.  At  last,  one 
midnight  he  found  him  in  a  gambling  den,  drinking  and 
carousing  among  the  worst  companions.  Tapping  the 
wanderer  on  the  shoulder,  he  said,  "  I  have  a  message 
for  you  from  your  father."  The  young  man  braced  up 
with  antagonism,  but  followed  the  man  out  under  the 
stars.  He  expected  to  hear  that  the  property  had  all 
been  divided  among  the  other  children  and  that  he  was 
cast  off  as  utterly  unworthy  the  name ;  but  what  a  sur- 
prise met  him !  The  friend  slowly  repeated,  "  Your 
father  asked  me  to  tell  you,  if  I  ever  found  you,  that 
he  loves  you  still."  There  was  a  change.  The  long- 
stopped  fountains  of  feeling  were  at  last  opened. 

Can  we  not  see  a  different  application  of  this  story  ? 
Think  for  a  moment  how  that  neighbor  would  speak 
those  words.  He  would  not  utter  them  in  a  spirit  of 


16  THE   PROBLEM 

indignation,  or  he  could  not  have  softened  the  hard 
heart.  Had  he  tried  to  become  a  good  actor  and  to 
impersonate  the  father,  he  would  have  failed ;  or  had  he 
given  the  words  with  fine  dramatic  effect,  they  would 
have  been  given  in  vain.  They  were  spoken  as  simply 
as  possible,  as  a  true  and  genuine  sympathetic  reflec- 
tion from  the  man's  soul  of  something  beyond  and  above 
his  own  individuality.  He  was  only  a  messenger.  He 
passed  into  a  high  and  noble  universal  experience  of  the 
relation  of  a  father  to  his  child  and  of  a  child  to  his 
father,  and  faithfully  suggested  his  sympathy  with  the 
feeling  which  lies  deeper  than  all  speech. 

The  Scripture  lesson  ought  to  be  presented  with  a  sim- 
ple sympathetic  realization  of  its  meaning.  It  touches 
even  deeper  feelings  than  exist  between  a  father  or  a 
mother  and  their  child.  It  is  a  message  carried  to  one 
who  may  be  astray,  but  is  always  a  child.  It  may  be  a 
message  to  one  in  rebellion,  to  one  in  want  because  of 
his  lack  of  receptivity,  to  one  unconscious  of  the  spirit 
which  is  over  him,  around  him,  and  within  him,  but  from 
whom  he  has  turned  away  to  live  in  the  negative  and  in 
the  shadow. 

The  listener  is  a  child,  the  reader  is  also  a  child  bear- 
ing a  great  message.  The  reading  of  the  Scriptures  is 
a  peculiar,  a  serious,  and  a  difficult  function,  and  de- 
mands special  study  and  earnest  preparation. 


II.     CUSTOM  AND  PRACTICE 

THE  public  reading  of  the  Bible  as  part  of  worship  is 
an  ancient  custom.  The  leader  of  the  hosts  of  Israel 
at  the  close  of  the  wilderness  journey  "read  all  the 
words  of  the  Law,  the  blessing  and  the  curse  according 
to  all  that  is  written  in  the  book  of  the  Law.  There 
was  not  a  word  of  all  that  Moses  commanded  which 
Joshua  read  not  before  all  the  assembly  of  Israel  " 
(Joshua  viii.  34-35)- 

Every  successive  reformation  was  associated  with  a 
renewal  of  attention  to  the  study  and  public  reading  of 
"The  Law."  At  the  time  of  Nehemiah  and  Ezra, 
"  They  read  in  the  book  in  the  Law  of  God,  distinctly ; 
and  they  gave  the  sense,  so  that  they  understood  the 
reading"  (Neh.  viii.  8). 

The  synagogue,  with  its  public  reading  of  the  Scrip- 
tures, is  believed  to  have  originated  during  or  after  the 
Babylonian  captivity.  This  reading  of  the  Law  by 
Nehemiah  and  Ezra  was  not  necessarily  the  initiation 
of  a  custom.  From  that  time  onward  the  synagogue 
spread  rapidly  to  all  Jews,  wherever  dispersed,  and  a 
carefully  arranged  lectionary  of  the  Law  and  the  Proph- 
ets grew  up  gradually.  This,  with  the  benedictions  and 
prayers  which  were  added  later,  and  the  address  after 
reading  the  Prophets,  constituted  the  whole  service. 
The  whole  "  Law "  was  thus  publicly  read  in  about 
three  years  or  three  and  a  half, 
c  17 


1 8  THE   PROBLEM 

We  are  told  (Luke  iv.  16-30)  that  Jesus  at  Nazareth 
entered,  as  his  custom  was,  into  the  synagogue  on  the 
Sabbath  day,  and  stood  up  to  read  the  appointed  lesson 
of  the  day,  —  the  appointed  prophecy,  or  possibly  a 
selection  of  his  own,  which  was  also  customary.  Luke 
evidently  takes  for  granted  that  the  reader  has  a  dis- 
tinct picture  of  the  circumstances  in  mind.  The  phrase, 
"  as  his  custom  was,"  suggests  that  the  Master  had  read 
the  lesson  frequently.  The  reading,  or  the  Master's 
part  in  the  service,  is  taken  as  a  matter  of  course.  It 
was  what  he  said  in  explanation  of  the  passage  that 
caused  the  uproar.  In  the  simple  exercises  of  the  syna- 
gogue it  was  customary  to  call  upon  persons  from  the 
congregation  to  read  the  lessons,  and  the  ruler  of  the 
synagogue  usually  designated  the  person  who  was  to 
speak. 

These  customs  were  either  adopted  by  the  leaders  of 
the  Christian  Church,  or  greatly  affected  its  meetings. 
The  first  Christian  services  were  very  informal.  The 
early  disciples  merely  met  together,  and  one  of  the 
apostles,  or  some  person  who  had  seen  Christ  perform 
a  miracle,  or  who  had  heard  Him  speak,  gave  an  ac- 
count of  it  to  the  others.  These  oral  reports  of  His 
parables  and  addresses,  spoken  in  an  informal  way 
from  memory  and  finally  gathered  together,  constitute 
the  four  Gospels.  Luke,  who  wrote  the  most  syste- 
matic and  complete  of  these  accounts,  probably  never  saw 
Christ.  He  simply  combined  the  stories  he  had  read  or 
had  heard  at  second  hand.  We  know  also  that  Paul's 
letters,  though  sent  to  particular  churches,  were  some- 
times read  in  other  places  (see  Col.  iv.  16).  As  a  matter 
of  course,  devout  Christians  would  preserve  copies  of 


CUSTOM   AND  PRACTICE  19 

these  letters,  and  no  doubt  for  centuries  such  copies 
were  passed  from  church  to  church,  and  read  at  various 
meetings.  The  letters  have  been  preserved  to  us 
through  copies  made  for  similar  uses  in  the  churches. 

That  this  custom  was  an  early  one  is  shown  by  the 
way  Justin  Martyr  speaks  of  it  in  his  first  Apology, 
written  about  A.D.  140.  "  On  the  day  which  is  called 
Sunday,  there  is  an  assembly  in  the  same  place  of 
all  who  live  in  cities,  or  in  country  districts,  and 
the  records  of  the  Apostles  or  the  writings  of  the 
Prophets  are  read  as  long  as  we  have  time.  Then 
the  reader  concludes;  and  the  President  verbally  in- 
structs and  exhorts  us  to  the  imitation  of  these  excel- 
lent things ;  then  we  all  together  rise  and  offer  up  our 
prayer." 

Thus,  about  one  hundred  years  after  the  death  of 
Christ,  we  find  the  reading  of  the  "  records  of  the  Apos- 
tles "  at  meetings  of  the  Christians  referred  to  as  a  cus- 
tom well  known,  and  firmly  established  as  the  chief  part 
of  the  services. 

These  readings  had  no  doubt  great  influence  on  the 
selection  of  the  so-called  Canon.  That  the  arrangement 
of  the  Old  Testament  for  reading  in  the  synagogue 
affected  the  Jews,  is  shown,  for  example,  by  the  fact 
that  the  book  of  Esther,  which  does  not  include  even 
the  name  of  Deity,  was  inserted  simply  because  it  was 
read  by  the  Jews  at  the  feast  of  Purim. 

These  readings  no  doubt  caused  the  preservation  of 
the  manuscripts  and  prevented  changes  and  insertions 
in  the  text  of  the  Sacred  Writings.  Whatever  was 
earliest  was  most  reverenced  and  guarded  with  most 
care. 


20  THE   PROBLEM 

When  our  Bible,  as  a  collection  of  both  Hebrew  and 
Christian  writings,  had  gradually  taken  shape  and  ob- 
tained wider  circulation,  it  was  natural  that  the  custom 
of  reading  it  as  a  part  of  the  Christian  services  should 
continue,  and  also  that  portions  should  be  gradually 
appointed  for  special  seasons. 

It  was  natural  to  use  the  Sacred  Writings  both  for 
instruction  and  reverent  contemplation,  to  elevate  the 
heart  and  to  bring  all  into  deeper  unity.  As  we  know 
from  Justin  Martyr,  and  from  other  sources,  this  read- 
ing of  the  Scriptures  constituted  the  chief  part  of  the 
services.  The  practice  of  the  Jews  in  the  synagogue 
passed  over  naturally  into  the  church,  so  that  particular 
passages  from  the  Old  Testament  were  selected,  con- 
taining the  prophecies  of  the  Messiah.  The  Gospels 
followed,  then  the  "  records  of  the  Apostles,"  and  finally 
the  apostolic  epistles. 

The  poverty  of  the  early  Christians,  the  great  cost  of 
manuscripts,  and  the  inability  on  the  part  of  many  in 
the  early  congregations  to  read,  made  frequent  reading 
of  the  Scriptures  a  necessary  part  of  the  service.  A 
portion  of  the  time  in  different  countries  was  also 
allotted  to  an  interpreter  for  the  translation  of  the 
lessons  into  the  dialects  or  peculiar  everyday  language 
of  the  people. 

For  fifteen  hundred  years  there  was  no  printed  Bible. 
The  manuscripts  were  copied  and  recopied,  and  worn 
out  by  frequent  use.  Even  at  the  time  of  Shakespeare, 
a  Bible  was  worth  as  much  as  a  good-sized  farm,  and 
only  the  few  could  own  a  complete  copy  of  the  Scrip- 
tures. In  the  daily  church  services,  the  lectionary  was 
similar  to  the  ancient  readings  of  the  Law  and  the 


CUSTOM   AND   PRACTICE  21 

Prophets  in  the  Jewish  synagogue.  Practically  the 
whole  Bible  was  arranged  to  be  read  during  the  year, 
the  more  important  parts  being  assigned  to  Sundays 
and  feast  days. 

The  Bible  also  was  often  chained  to  a  lectern  or  desk, 
that  devout  persons  might  read  at  various  hours  of  the 
day.  Readers  would  often  no  doubt  volunteer  to  read 
aloud  to  groups  of  persons.  Possibly  in  this  way 
Shakespeare  gained  his  knowledge  of  the  Bible.  In 
this  manner  the  reading  of  a  part  of  the  Scriptures  in 
public  worship,  probably  one  of  the  first  of  all  Christian 
customs,  became  the  great  channel  through  which  the 
Bible  was  made  known  to  the  people  at  large. 

At  the  present  time,  however,  any  one  for  a  small  sum 
can  obtain  a  copy  of  the  Scriptures  in  his  native  tongue. 
Has  the  necessity  for  the  public  reading  of  the  Scrip- 
tures therefore  passed  away  ?  Why  should  this  custom, 
which  had  its  origin  in  the  days  of  ignorance  and  before 
the  invention  of  printing,  be  continued  in  this  age,  when 
a  copy  of  the  Scriptures  is  found  in  the  hands  of  every 
individual  ? 

The  present  universal  neglect  of  systematic  study  for 
the  vocal  interpretation  of  the  Scriptures,  would  seem 
to  indicate  that  the  reason  for  the  custom  has  passed 
away.  In  fact,  Scripture  reading  is  frequently  called  a 
part  of  the  "introductory  exercises."  Introductory  to 
what  ?  To  the  sermon,  of  course.  In  many  of  our 
churches,  the  "  introductory"  services  are  rushed  through 
in  a  perfunctory  manner.  Among  all  denominations  of 
Christians  there  is  found  little  genuine  conception  of 
the  fact  that  the  reading  of  the  Scriptures  is  an  essen- 
tial part  of  worship. 


22  THE   PROBLEM 

In  theory,  of  course,  it  is  still  magnified,  and  it  is 
continued  "  lest  the  people  might  not  otherwise  hear  the 
Bible"  or  " might  neglect  reading  it  at  home."  Yet 
there  is  no  well-defined  conception  or  realization  of  the 
power  of  the  living  voice  to  interpret  its  meaning.  In 
the  training  of  clergymen,  how  little  attention  is  devoted 
to  the  adequate  presentation  of  the  spirit  of  the  Bible  in 
reading !  The  clergyman  devotes  the  whole  week  to 
the  preparation  of  the  sermon,  but  probably  only  a  few 
moments  to  the  preparation  or  selection  of  the  Scripture 
lesson.  Sometimes,  indeed,  the  lesson  is  not  chosen  till 
the  minister  arrives  at  church. 

There  are  even  ministers  who  hold  that  "  no  Scripture 
is  of  any  private  interpretation,"  and  who  profess  to 
believe  that  there  should  be  no  emphasis,  no  specific 
interpretation  of  the  passage  read,  but  that  each  person 
should  interpret  it  for  himself.  To  them,  reading  is 
apparently  only  a  monotonous  repetition  of  words. 

Now,  if  the  reason  for  the  reading  of  the  Bible  has  no 
other  ground  than  the  fear  that  the  people  may  not  be 
otherwise  acquainted  with  it,  if  a  lesson  is  to  be  droned 
out  by  persons  without  intellectual  ability  or  knowledge, 
or  if  the  minister  is  to  read  it  simply  as  a  formal  intro- 
duction to  his  sermon,  thoughtful  men  cannot  help 
thinking  that  the  public  reading  of  the  Bible  will  be 
brought  into  contempt,  and  become  positively  harmful. 

What  thoughtful  man  can  fail  to  see  that  in  many 
churches,  even  in  those  that  claim  to  be  the  most  spirit- 
ual, the  reading  of  the  Scriptures  rarely  awakens  much 
attention.  Members  of  the  congregation  universally 
desire  the  "  introductory  exercises  "  to  be  short.  During 
the  reading,  the  minds  of  only  a  few  enter  into  the 


CUSTOM  AND   PRACTICE  23 

exercise  with  heartfelt  sympathy.  When  the  "  introduc- 
tory exercises  "  are  over,  you  see  the  minister  begin  to 
breathe  deeply  and  "  gird  up  his  loins  "  for  what  to  him 
is  the  important  part  of  the  service,  —  the  sermon.  The 
members  of  the  congregation  straighten  up  also  with 
expectant  attention  for  the  real  centre  of  interest  —  to 
some  almost  the  entertainment  of  the  morning. 

Is  the  public  reading  of  the  Scriptures  an  empty 
form  which  has  come  down  to  us  from  a  remote  past, 
and  remained  without  any  special  reason  for  being 
maintained  ?  Is  the  necessity  for  it  outgrown  ?  If  the 
preacher  conscientiously  thinks  so,  he  should  by  all 
means  omit  it.  To  make  people  familiar  with  the  letter 
without  any  appreciation  of  the  spirit,  or  with  the  mere 
sound  and  form  of  the  words  without  any  proper  realiza- 
tion of  the  meaning,  can  never  be  any  thing  but  injurious. 

Should  not  every  young  minister  give  himself  to  a 
serious  consideration  of  the  meaning  of  this  part  of  the 
service  ?  As  one  who  is  to  be  an  instrument  in  leading 
men  to  a  higher  realization  of  the  spiritual  life,  should 
he  not  seriously  endeavor  to  define  for  himself  the  real 
function  of  each  part  of  the  services  ? 


III.     GENERAL  NATURE  OF  VOCAL 
EXPRESSION 

To  understand  the  peculiar  character  of  the  reading 
of  the  Bible  and  the  practical  methods  for  its  improve- 
ment, it  is  necessary  as  a  preliminary  step  to  comprehend 
the  nature  and  primary  elements  of  all  Vocal  Expression. 
The  meaning  of  every  modulation  of  the  voice  concerned 
in  vocal  interpretation  must  be  realized.  The  reader 
who  desires  to  improve  his  expression  should  begin  by 
studying  himself.  What  are  the  primary  actions  of  the 
mind  in  thinking  ?  How  are  they  expressed  through  the 
natural  language  of  voice  ? 

i.  The  Elementary  Modulations  of  the  Voice.  —  What 
are  the  modulations  of  the  voice  which  in  everyday 
speech  naturally  express  our  thoughts  and  feelings,  and 
what  is  the  distinct  function  which  each  discharges  in 
expression  ? 

Read  aloud  the  first  eight  verses  of  the  first  chapter 
of  Genesis  several  times,  noting  carefully  the  actions 
of  the  mind  and  the  modulations  of  the  voice.  You 
will  observe  that  the  mind  before  speaking  each  phrase 
concentrates  attention  upon  the  central  idea  and  causes 
the  voice  to  utter  in  a  group  the  words  belonging  to  this 
idea.  This  precedent  attention  secures  an  impression 
which  determines  the  vocal  expression.  During  con- 
centration there  is  a  pause,  the  length  of  which  is  deter- 
mined by  the  vividness  of  the  mental  pictures,  the  vigor 

24 


GENERAL  NATURE  OF  VOCAL  EXPRESSION   25 

of  the  thinking,  and  the  depth  of  feeling.  The  central 
word  of  each  phrase  receives  a  definite  touch,  and  pause 
and  touch  in  conversation  and  good  reading  alternate 
in  a  movement  determined  by  the  rhythmic  action  of 
the  mind  in  thinking.  When  we  read  over  the  words 
merely  as  words,  the  rhythmic  action  of  the  mind  and 
the  alternation  of  pause  and  touch  are  lessened  or 
thrown  into  confusion ;  but  in  proportion  as  thinking  is 
genuine  and  expression  natural  and  forcible  will  be  the 
regular  and  intense  rhythmic  alternation  in  both  think- 
ing and  speech.  Attention  is  definitely  focussed  succes- 
sively upon  "  beginning,"  "  God,"  "  heavens,"  "  earth," 
"waste,"  "void,"  etc.  Readers  differ;  some,  for  exam- 
ple, will  make  "waste  and  void  "  two  ideas;  others  one 
idea  with  a  distinct,  definite  touch  on  "void." 

In  an  earnest  rendering  of  these  sublime  ideas  the 
successive  central  ideas  with  their  phrases  are  dis- 
criminated from  one  another  spontaneously  by  a  change 
in  pitch.  When  "the  heavens"  and  "the  earth"  are 
given  as  two  ideas,  there  is  a  variation  of  pitch.  At 
the  close  of  the  first  paragraph,  "  there  was  evening  and 
there  was  morning,"  the  reader  who  is  awake  to  the 
meaning  does  not  rely  upon  the  mere  change  of  words 
to  give  the  thought  to  his  audience  but  spontaneously 
opposes  the  two  ideas  by  a  difference  in  key. 

In  speaking  "  beginning  "  the  mind  is  held  in  sus- 
pense and  is  looking  forward,  and  this  attitude  of  mind 
is  shown  by  a  rising  inflection.  The  reader  who  affirms 
God  as  back  of  all  creation  will  give  a  falling  inflection 
to  express  this  affirmative  attitude  of  his  mind ;  while  a 
reader  who  takes  this  for  granted  will  give  a  rising 
inflection  to  all  words  until  the  falling  inflection  comes 


2(5  THE  PROBLEM 

on  "  earth."  In  every  case  the  attitude  of  the  reader's 
mind  toward  each  successive  idea,  his  sense  of  the  rela- 
tion of  idea  to  idea,  to  himself  or  to  his  auditor,  is  shown 
by  inflection. 

A  reader  who  has  any  imaginative  realization  of  the 
sublime  situation  will  show  this  by  a  modulation  of  the 
resonance  of  his  voice  or  tone-color,  and  by  a  slow, 
strong  pulsation  of  thought  and  expression,  or  movement. 
We  find  also  a  change  in  color  between  phrases  and 
clauses.  "  Let  there  be  light "  is  given  with  great 
intensity  and  awe.  "And  there  was  light  "  is  given  not 
only  on  a  different  key  but  with  a  difference  of  reso- 
nance and  movement  to  express  the  mind's  realization 
and  wonder.  We  find,  again,  a  marked  union  and  tran- 
sition of  all  these  elements  in  the  last  sentence  of  verse  5 
and  also  in  that  of  verse  8.  The  pauses  are  long,  the 
movement  slow  and  strong,  the  coloring  intense,  sug- 
gesting the  significance  and  mystery  attached  to  these 
words  in  this  sublime  poem  of  Creation. 

Read  aloud  Luke  xv.  1-7.  Here  again,  though  the 
passage  is  very  different  in  style,  we  find  the  same 
actions  of  mind  and  voice.  In  the  introductory  verses 
we  can  indicate  four  classes  of  persons,  —  "  publicans," 
"  sinners,"  "  Pharisees,"  "  scribes,"  by  naming  each  with 
a  falling  inflection ;  or  we  can  divide  them  into  two 
classes  by  a  rising  inflection  on  "  publicans  "  and  a  fall- 
ing on  "  sinners,"  a  rising  inflection  on  "  Pharisees,"  and 
a  falling  on  "  scribes."  This  last  is  evidently  the  idea, 
for  the  emphasis  is  upon  the  division  of  the  audience 
according  to  their  mental  attitude,  and  it  is  this  which 
gives  rise  to  the  parable. 

The  reader  will  concentrate  his  mind  upon  "near" 


GENERAL  NATURE   OF  VOCAL  EXPRESSION       27 

and  "hear,"  then  upon  "scribes."  In  every  case  the 
words  are  so  gathered  around  the  central  ideas  as  to 
form  natural  groups,  and  a  decided  touch  is  given  where 
attention  is  focussed.  These  successive  groups  are  pre- 
ceded by  pauses.  The  mind  grasps  the  idea  of  a 
phrase  and  conceives  the  picture  before  expressing  it. 
Impression  continually  precedes  and  determines  expres- 
sion. First  a  period  of  silence  —  then  the  expressive 
word  or  phrase.  Pause  and  touch  unite  in  a  natural 
rhythm,  expressing  the  action  of  the  mind  in  thinking. 

The  successive  centres  of  attention  not  only  become 
living  conceptions  in  the  mind  but  in  proportion  to  their 
vividness  are  distinguished  one  from  another  by  a 
change  of  pitch.  These  changes  of  pitch  reveal  the 
progressive  transition  and  the  successive  distinction 
between  ideas.  They  may  be  given  in  any  direction  and 
with  almost  any  degree  of  length,  so  long  as  they  are 
under  domination  of  genuine  mental  action. 

The  mind  relates  the  ideas  and  words  to  one  another, 
and  expresses  this  relation  by  inflection.  For  example, 
there  is  a  rising  inflection  upon  "now,"  "all,"  "the," 
and  "  publicans,"  and  a  long,  falling  inflection  on  "  sin- 
ners." Thus  the  words  are  naturally  brought  into 
unity  of  form  by  direction  of  the  inflection  and  change 
of  pitch,  making  salient  the  centres  of  attention.  This 
form  may  be  further  illustrated  by  the  words,  "  And 
having  lost  one  of  them."  "  Lost "  is  the  central  word. 
The  words  before  it  have  the  rising  and  the  words  after 
it  the  falling  inflection.  "  Lost "  has  not  only  a  strong 
touch  but  also  a  long,  falling  inflection  which  governs 
the  whole  phrase. 

We  find  also  that  some  ideas  have  longer  falling 


28  THE   PROBLEM 

or  rising  inflections,  others  shorter.  For  example,  in 
verse  2  the  word  "  eateth  "  may  be  more  salient  than 
any  previous  word,  to  express  the  surprise  and  disgust  of 
the  scribes  and  Pharisees.  The  force  of  inflection  may 
be  such  that  the  whole  passage  is  brought  into  unity. 
Inflection  thus  shows  the  relation  of  words  and  ideas, 
or  the  method  of  thought  in  the  passage. 

Changes  of  imaginative  situation  and  feeling  are 
shown  by  modulation  of  the  resonance  of  the  voice, 
or  tone-color.  For  instance,  verses  I  and  2  differ  from 
verse  3,  where  the  parable  is  introduced  in  the  Master's 
own  words.  There  is  also  a  suggestion  of  the  shep- 
herd's joy  and  a  still  greater  change  with  verse  7  at 
the  Master's  application  of  the  story. 

Some  clauses  of  comparatively  little  importance  are 
given  freely  and  rapidly  with  a  suggestion  of  shorter 
pulsations ;  while  other  clauses  or  sentences,  like  verse  7, 
are  given  slowly  with  longer  and  stronger  pulsations,  j 
These  reveal  the  reader's  assimilation  of  the  real  spirit 
of  the  passage,  and  show  his  estimate  of  the  relative 
value  of  the  successive  ideas. 

We  find  still  other  elements.  For  example,  a  pause 
may  be  introduced  in  the  very  middle  of  a  phrase ; 
after  the  word  "  murmured "  or  "  eateth,"  and  after 
"  lost "  in  the  first  part  of  the  verse.  This  has  been 
called  the  emphatic  pause. 

These  six  modulations  of  Pause,  Touch,  Change  of 
Pitch,  Inflection,  Movement,  and  Tone-color  are  never 
absent  from  natural  conversation,  and  may  be  put  down 
as  its  fundamental  characteristics. 

Another  way  of  realizing  the  presence  and  functions 
of  these  modulations  is  to  read  such  a  passage  as 


GENERAL  NATURE   OF   VOCAL   EXPRESSION       29 

Psalm  i.  First,  eliminate  all  modulations,  and  then 
give  it,  endeavoring  to  employ  all  the  variations  of  free 
and  natural  speech,  and  note  the  differences.  Such 
exercises  will  make  clear  the  real  nature  and  power  of 
vocal  interpretation. 

Still  another  way  is  to  read  these  passages  with  vari- 
ous "tunes"  by  perverting  these  natural  modulations. 
In  proportion  as  inflection  or  change  of  pitch  is  elimi- 
nated or  perverted,  unnaturalness  results.  The  reader, 
by  comparing  any  unnatural  tune  with  conversation  and 
carefully  observing  pause,  touch,  change  of  pitch,  inflec- 
tion, or  any  of  the  modulations,  can  be  made  to  dis- 
tinguish the  causes  and  characteristics  of  naturalness 
and  unnaturalness  in  speaking  and  reading. 

In  reading  or  speaking  a  simple  sentence  or  phrase, 
numerous  mental  actions  are  simultaneously  combined. 
We  can  concentrate  our  attention  upon  the  idea  and  at 
the  same  time  preserve  a  definite  mental  attitude,  a 
positive  degree  of  conviction  and  deep  feeling,  and 
unite  with  all  a  complete  imaginative  realization.  These 
mental  actions  do  not  interfere  with  one  another.  On 
the  contrary  their  union  adds  force  to  the  activity  of 
every  power  of  the  mind. 

Now,  in  exactly  the  same  way,  we  find  that  all  the 
voice  modulations,  which  directly  express  these  psychic 
actions,  are  capable  of  similar  unity.  In  fact,  they 
always  act  together,  and  are  necessary  to  one  another. 
Without  a  pause,  for  example,  change  of  pitch  or  vigor 
of  touch  results  in  chaos.  Without  inflection,  the  color- 
ing of  the  voice  is  meaningless,  —  as  a  painting,  no  mat- 
ter how  beautiful  the  coloring,  is  bad  if  incorrectly 
drawn.  Expression  depends  upon  the  combination  of 


30  THE   PROBLEM  ' 

these  modulations.  Not  only  must  the  distinct  linguis- 
tic or  expressive  value  of  each  modulation  be  felt,  and 
the  power  to  use  it  consciously  secured,  but  it  is  still 
more  important  to  feel  the  relation  of  these  to  each 
other  and  express  the  force  of  their  union.  The  ability 
at  any  moment  to  accentuate  any  combination  of  these 
must  be  secured.  The  deeper  the  expression,  the  sub- 
limer  the  passage,  the  more  harmoniously  must  these 
elements  blend.  Only  by  their  combination  do  they 
become  a  language  at  all. 

The  reader  must  specially  note  that  any  one  of  these 
natural  modulations,  such  as  pause,  change  of  pitch,  or 
inflection,  can  be  very  strongly  accentuated,  and  that 
this  enlargement  brings  greater  unity  and  saliency,  and 
increases  rather  than  decreases  the  naturalness.  The 
student  should  make  earnest  efforts  to  realize  the  indi- 
vidual function  of  each  of  these  modulations,  and  to 
accentuate  it  while  bringing  all  into  greater  unity. 

Read  again,  and  many  times,  the  parable  of  the  Hun- 
dred Sheep,  Luke  xv.  1-7.  First  increase  the  intensity 
of  the  thought,  and  express  this  by  accentuating  silence 
and  touch.  Then  read  it  once  more,  expressing  by 
change  of  pitch  and  inflection  the  connection  and  rela- 
tive value  of  ideas,  and  note  that  the  central  ideas  and 
their  relations  can  be  made  very  prominent  without  in 
any  way  displacing  other  modulations. 

By  reading  such  a  passage  many  times  and  in  many 
ways,  intensifying  every  possible  meaning  and  shade  of 
feeling,  by  multiplying  the  use  of  expressive  modula- 
tions and  by  accentuating  them  in  various  degrees,  the 
reader  can  become  conscious  of  the  function  of  vocal 
expression,  of  the  meaning  and  force  of  each  modula- 


GENERAL  NATURE  OF  VOCAL  EXPRESSION   31 

tion,  and  of  the  methods  of  freely  varying,  increasing, 
and  uniting  them.  A  right  study  of  these  modulations 
reveals  also,  more  than  almost  anything  else,  the  free 
and  spontaneous  action  of  the  mind,  and  their  mastery 
gives  a  marvellous  drill  in  thinking  and  feeling. 

These  expressive  modulations  of  the  voice  and  some 
of  their  leading  functions,  should  be  briefly  summarized 
after  careful  self-observation  and  practice  by  every  one 
who  wishes  to  make  a  serious  study  of  the  art  of 
reading. 

2.  The  Problem  and  its  Peculiarities.  —  Vocal  expres- 
sion is  thus  found  to  be  the  revelation,  through  the 
modulations  of  the  voice,  of  man's  realization  of  truth 
and  experience. 

Its  nature  and  function  will  be  better  understood  by 
being  compared  with  verbal  expression.  Words  sym- 
bolize ideas,  but  the  modulations  of  the  voice  directly 
express  the  processes  of  thinking  and  feeling.  Words 
by  conventional  agreement  stand  for  conceptions  of  the 
mind.  They  have  to  be  learned,  and  the  custom  of  the 
best  speakers  and  writers  establishes  the  grammatical 
rules  for  their  correct  use.  But  vocal  expression  is  a 
natural  language ;  men  do  not  learn  to  smile  or  laugh 
as  they  learn  the  use  of  a  word.  The  modulations  of 
the  voice  are  the  direct  signs  of  psychic  conditions. 
While  words  symbolize  ideas,  the  voice  reveals  the 
impressions  produced  by  the  ideas,  the  feelings  that 
awaken  in  response  to  them.  A  phrase  or  word  may 
be  spoken  with  a  hundred  different  modulations,  and 
be  made  to  reveal  as  many  distinct  situations,  rela- 
tions, or  shades  of  experience.  In  verbal  expression 
a  word  or  phrase  is  selected  to  the  exclusion  of  other 


32  THE   PROBLEM 

words  or  phrases.  According  to  Flaubert,  the  great 
master  of  style,  the  real  problem  is  to  find  the  one 
word,  to  the  exclusion  of  all  others,  which  will  express 
the  idea.  On  the  contrary,  in  vocal  expression  the 
selection  of  a  modulation  of  voice  for  especial  accentu- 
ation necessarily  implies  the  inclusion  in  harmony  with 
it  of  other  modulations.  One  reason  for  this  is  that 
words  express  man's  ideas  and  discriminations,  while 
the  modulations  of  the  voice  in  pronouncing  the  words 
of  a  literary  work  reveal  the  man  himself,  —  how  he 
thinks  the  thought,  his  appreciation  and  realization  of 
each  idea,  his  attitude,  his  experience,  the  response 
each  idea  awakens  in  him.  In  short,  vocal  expression 
forms  a  distinct  language,  —  a  language  which  is  more 
personal,  subjective,  emotional,  free,  and  spontaneous 
than  words. 

Verbal  and  vocal  expressions  are  the  natural  and 
necessary  complements  of  each  other.  No  literary 
work  is  complete,  or  can  be  conceived  of  as  com- 
plete, without  a  realization  of  the  unity  of  these  lan- 
guages. Without  voice,  words  are  a  dead  language, 
and  without  verbal  expression,  vocal  expression  is 
meaningless. 

Vocal  expression  is  more  or  less  peculiar  to  every 
individual,  and  for  this  reason  there  is  a  tendency  to 
neglect  and  overlook  its  linguistic  character.  But  fun- 
damental principles  govern  these  modulations,  so  that 
one  modulation  is  recognized  as  natural  and  another  as 
unnatural;  one  as  expressive  and  another  as  unex- 
pressive;  one  as  harmonious  and  another  as  chaotic; 
one  as  expressive  of  weakness  and  another  of  strength ; 
one  as  true  and  another  as  false.  The  standard  of 


GENERAL  NATURE   OF  VOCAL   EXPRESSION       33 

judgment  is  neither  conventional  nor  arbitrary.  In 
the  utterance  of  every  phrase  the  individual  is  judged, 
not  only  by  comparison  with  his  race  and  with  uni- 
versal human  types,  but  by  himself.  Even  common 
men  distinguish  a  speaker's  actual  from  his  ideal  self, 
and  judge  a  speaker's  naturalness  by  comparing,  it 
may  be  unconsciously,  his  actual  speech  with  his  real 
possibilities. 

The  problem  of  improving  vocal  expression  is  peculiar. 
It  cannot  be  developed  by  mechanical,  artificial,  or  ob- 
jective methods.  Its  unfolding  requires  a  more  vital 
process  than  that  of  written  language.  Its  improve- 
ment requires  primarily  the  stimulation  and  accentua- 
tion of  the  processes  of  thinking,  —  the  awakening  of 
deeper  feeling,  and  a  higher  realization  of  truth.  The 
voice  reveals  the  subconscious  instincts,  the  deeper 
spiritual  intuitions  which  can  hardly  be  shown  by  words. 
Even  the  character  of  the  modulations  of  the  voice,  and 
the  vocabulary  of  delivery,  can  hardly  be  explained  by 
words.  They  must  be  felt  by  the  individual,  who  must 
come  to  a  consciousness  of  them  by  observation,  medi- 
tation, and  practice. 

The  modulations  of  the  voice  cannot  be  the  subject 
of  mechanical  rules,  for  vocal  expression  is  a  present, 
living  language.  It  cannot  be  recorded.  Words  may 
express  what  a  man  thought  yesterday  or  last  week; 
they  may  record  the  race's  attainment  in  knowledge; 
but  vocal  expression  reveals  the  life  of  the  individual, 
the  passion  of  a  moment.  It  discloses  not  so  much  the 
thought  as  the  thinking  soul.  It  does  not  give  names 
to  experience,  but  reveals  emotion  by  natural  signs ;  it 
manifests  the  soul's  present  sympathy  and  realization  of 


34  THE   PROBLEM 

any  experience.  Words  are  comparatively  simple ;  but 
vocal  expression,  in  the  utterance  of  every  word,  corre- 
lates many  diverse  modulations  in  a  living,  expressive 
unity,  that  mirrors  the  deepest  activities  of  mind  and 
heart  at  the  moment  of  speech. 

Not  only  the  right  method  of  developing  vocal  ex- 
pression requires  the  accentuation  of  thinking,  a  greater 
fulness  of  life  at  the  moment  of  reading,  a  study  of  the 
relation  of  the  reader's  mind  to  his  voice,  a  control  of 
the  voice  modulations  in  conversation,  but  the  reader 
has  also  to  enlarge  all  these  modulations.  That  which 
would  be  effective  and  expressive  on  the  street  or  in  a 
private  room  must  be  greatly  extended  to  dominate  the 
attention  of  hundreds  of  people.  When  a  man  speaks 
to  another,  he  uses  a  certain  degree  of  force  and  range 
of  voice ;  but  when  he  stands  up  to  read  or  speak  to  a 
thousand,  the  scale  must  be  extended.  In  this  neces- 
sary enlargement  faults  and  unnaturalness  chiefly  ap- 
pear. A  portrait  can  be  an  accurate  likeness  and  yet 
be  only  half  an  inch  in  diameter.  The  same  likeness 
may  be  enlarged  till  it  covers  the  end  of  a  house,  and 
still  remain  an  accurate  portrait,  provided  all  parts  are 
enlarged  in  proportion.  If  only  the  nose  or  chin  or 
upper  lip  be  enlarged,  the  effect  is  abnormal.  Almost 
without  exception,  untrained  readers  and  speakers  fail 
in  the  harmonious  enlargement  of  the  voice  modula- 
tions. They  increase  force,  and  give  greater  volume  to 
certain  vowels,  and  limit  or  eliminate  such  important 
elements  of  naturalness  as  change  of  pitch  or  inflection. 
To  hold  the  attention  of  an  audience,  the  reader  must 
so  control  his  voice  that  he  can  express  ideas  clearly 
and  emphatically,  while  retaining  the  naturalness  of 


GENERAL  NATURE  OF  VOCAL  EXPRESSION   35 

ordinary  conversation.  Every  inflection,  change  of 
pitch,  and  pause,  must  be  enlarged  in  the  right  pro- 
portion. The  trivial,  jerky,  or  irregular  and  spasmodic 
actions  in  everyday  speech  cannot  be  eradicated,  and 
the  essential  elements  of  naturalness  retained  and 
accentuated,  without  serious  study. 

Not  only  is  vocal  expression  in  general  difficult,  but 
there  are  peculiar  difficulties  connected  with  the  read- 
ing of  the  Bible.  It  calls  for  the  highest  emotion,  the 
deepest  sympathy,  the  most  exalted  expression.  It  is 
made  difficult  also  on  account  of  the  universal  method 
in  which  it  is  read.  Every  young  minister  is  tempted 
to  form  his  conception  from  what  he  has  heard,  and 
before  he  knows  it  he  has  fallen  into  the  ordinary 
manner  of  reading  with  the  cold,  formal,  neutral,  nega- 
tive elimination  of  all  feeling.  The  result  is  a  tendency 
to  drift  into  mannerisms.  Every  denomination  of  Chris- 
tians has  a  peculiar  tune  in  reading  the  Bible,  which  is 
possibly  even  worse  than  that  used  in  preaching.  One 
who  wishes  to  improve  in  reading  the  Bible  must,  there- 
fore, cut  himself  loose  from  all  others,  study  himself, 
his  own  method  of  thinking  and  feeling,  and  practise 
patiently  to  interpret  the  subtlest  shades  of  meaning 
and  the  deepest  elements  of  feeling. 

Again,  in  ordinary  intercourse,  we  rarely  manifest  the 
deeper  feelings ;  and  little  occasion  arises,  therefore,  for 
wide  range  or  modulation  of  movement  or  texture  of 
the  voice.  But  for  the  proper  interpretation  of  the 
Scriptures  a  reader  must  rise  to  the  plane  of  the  sub- 
lime. When  the  Bible  is  read  in  a  mechanical  and  com- 
monplace tone,  as  is  often  the  case,  the  hearers  obtain 
a  commonplace  or  evanescent  impression  of  what  is  read. 


36  THE   PROBLEM 

So  distinct  is  the  function  of  vocal  expression,  that 
a  man  may  thoroughly  understand  the  meaning  of  a 
passage,  and  yet  so  read  as  entirely  to  pervert  it.  How 
often,  for  example,  have  readers  suggested  that  there 
were  only  two  places  where  a  lamp  might  be  placed  in 
reading  this  question :  "  Is  the  lamp  brought  to  be  put 
under  a  bushel,  or  under  the  bed  ? "  (Mark  iv.  21). 

Take  the  word  "  depart "  as  used  in  the  Gospels.  To 
render  it  properly  we  must  understand  and  manifest 
the  spirit  and  character  of  the  Master  who  spoke  it. 
The  reader  must  feel  what  is  meant  by  "  the  wrath  of 
the  Lamb  "  before  he  can  truly  speak  this  word. 

Again,  every  emotion  may  be  expressed  as  the  feeling 
either  of  a  strong  nature  or  of  a  weak  one.  For  exam- 
ple, one  man  shows  his  sorrow  with  less  breath,  with 
minor  inflections,  tremolo,  and  semitonic  melodies,  and 
these  have  been  actually  recommended  by  followers  of 
mechanical  elocution.  But  observation  will  show  that 
the  strong  man  expresses  sorrow  in  a  totally  different 
way.  He  pauses  longer,  struggles  with  his  breath,  and 
breathes  more  deeply.  Because  he  is  striving  to  control 
his  emotion,  his  voice  is  used  with  decided  touch,  with 
straight  inflections,  vibrating,  it  may  be  with  feeling, 
rich  in  tone-color,  but  with  no  minor  inflections  or  semi- 
tonic  melodies.  The  intense  emotion  of  such  a  man  pro- 
foundly stirs  our  sympathies.  The  other  we  may  pity, 
but  for  this  man  we  have  sympathy.  He  expresses  his 
endeavor  to  endure  his  suffering  with  dignity.  He 
shows  himself  a  strong  man,  refusing  to  give  way  to 
weakness  and  despair.  The  true  study  of  vocal  expres- 
sion will  bring  this  important  distinction  to  the  attention 
of  men. 


GENERAL  NATURE  OF  VOCAL  EXPRESSION   37 

We  find  peculiar  difficulties  in  the  way  of  proper 
vocal  expression  of  the  Bible.  Men  separate  the  book 
from  human  experience.  The  book  being  considered 
sacred  as  a  whole,  the  minister  feels  a  general  mood 
toward  the  Bible,  toward  the  pulpit,  toward  the  ser- 
vice, or  toward  the  congregation,  so  that  in  reading  the 
Bible,  he  is  liable  to  ecstatic  emotion  or  feeling  which  is 
not  the  result  of  genuine  thinking,  but  due  to  extraneous 
causes  which  therefore  do  not  produce  a  natural  varia- 
tion or  movement.  In  the  reading  of  any  other  book, 
if  a  joyous  passage  should  be  given  with  solemn  regret, 
it  would  be  noticed  at  once;  but  how  often  is  such 
untruthfulness  overlooked  in  the  reading  of  the  Bible. 

It  is  surprising  when  one  looks  over  the  courses  of 
study  in  the  theological  seminaries  to  find  neglect  or 
perverted  notions  regarding  delivery  everywhere  preva- 
lent. When  one  studies  the  work  of  the  pulpit,  its 
nature  and  importance,  and  compares  its  actual  attain- 
ments with  the  ideal  possibilities,  when  he  discovers  how 
many  preachers  suffer  from  sore  throats,  how  many  even 
permanently  destroy  their  health  through  misuse  of  the 
voice,  he  cannot  but  express  his  astonishment.  When 
any  one  observes  the  perversions  of  truth,  or  the  failure 
to  express  the  real  feeling  of  the  simplest  passage,  from 
lack  of  command  of  the  natural  modulations  of  the  voice, 
what  can  he  say?  When  the  authorities  of  the  theo- 
logical schools  select  teachers  on  account  of  their  elocu- 
tionary and  dramatic  attainments  in  public  reading,  — 
men  without  culture,  men  who  certainly  have  not  the 
breadth  of  education  to  enable  them  to  mirror  a  stu- 
dent's difficulties  to  him,  —  what  thoughtful  man  can 
fail  to  be  astonished  ? 


38  THE  PROBLEM 

To  enter  upon  the  work  of  improving  the  reading  of 
the  Bible,  it  is  first  necessary  to  gain  some  sense  of  the 
function  of  vocal  expression.  It  is  a  lost  art  to  most 
people.  Its  very  nearness  to  us,  its  constant  employ- 
ment on  the  commonplace  plane  in  conversation,  make 
it  specially  difficult  to  awaken  a  sense  of  the  higher 
function  of  this,  the  most  natural  of  languages. 

When  asked  to  read  a  passage  in  a  different  way 
from  the  ordinary  stereotyped  method,  most  men  have 
a  strange  disinclination  to  make  even  an  attempt  to 
do  so.  This  is  due  to  the  fact  that  a  habit  of  merely 
pronouncing  the  words  has  been  formed.  The  ordinary 
reader  knows  little  of  the  power  to  modulate  the  voice 
directly,  so  as  to  express  a  distinct  shade  of  thought, 
much  less  of  feeling.  One  of  the  ablest  young  men  I 
ever  taught  said  he  had  never  thought  of  a  pause  as 
having  anything  to  do  with  the  mind.  Such  testimony 
is  common.  If  a  reader  can  be  made  to  realize  that  a 
passage  may  be  read  in  different  ways,  it  will  aid  him 
to  make  a  start.  To  give  a  passage  in  different  ways, 
even  though  some  of  these  may  pervert  the  meaning, 
sometimes  awakens  in  the  reader  a  sense  of  the  power 
and  function  of  vocal  expression. 

He  who  would  read   the   Bible  well,  must  take  the 

]work  seriously.     He  must  recognize  the  development  of 

vocal  expression  as  a  great  problem  in  education  and 

v  full  of  the  greatest  difficulties.     He  must  be  willing  to 

study  and  practise  earnestly,  to  give  the  smallest  phrase 

}    over  and  over  again,  to  search  deep  in  his  own  heart 

and  wrestle  with  his  own  voice,  until  he  can  interpret 

'  the  profoundest  thought  and  feeling  through  the  modu- 

!    lations  of  his  tone. 


GENERAL  NATURE  OF  VOCAL  EXPRESSION   39 

Possibly  the  best  way  to  begin  this  study  is  to  select 
some  short  passage,  such  as  the  conversation  between 
Jesus  and  Peter,  John  xxi.  15-18,  and  after  reading  it 
over,  with  the  attention  at  first  concentrated  upon  the  pro- 
nunciation or  phraseology,  then  to  give  as  careful  and 
genuine  an  interpretation  of  the  thought  and  feeling  of 
the  passage  as  possible,  noting  some  of  the  differences 
in  the  modulations  of  the  voice  and  the  effect  upon  the 
hearer. 

As  the  reader  thus  enters  into  deeper  realization  of 
the  meaning  of  the  passage,  he  perceives  the  difference 
between  the  manner  in  which  Jesus  questions  and  the 
manner  in  which  Peter  answers.  He  feels  the  intense 
and  tender  look  and  the  sustained  dignity  of  the  Master. 
He  realizes  the  repetitions  of  the  question  and  the  mani- 
fest impression  made  upon  Peter,  and  by  his  voice  sug- 
gests increasing  assertion  of  devotion. 

If  the  reader  consult  the  original  Greek,  he  will  dis- 
cover that  Jesus  uses  two  different  words  for  "  love " 
and  that  this  progressive  tenderness  cannot  be  indi- 
cated in  English ;  but  he  finds  that  by  realizing  the 
true  spirit  of  the  progressive  appeal  he  can  render 
the  increase  in  feeling  by  his  voice. 

Thus  the  reader  may  come  to  realize  that  delivery  is 
something  distinct  from  words,  that  it  ~revealsTKe  ex- 
"perience  oTtEe  soul  in  directly  realizing  the  meaning, 
and  that  so  far  as  concerns  feeling  or  the  revelation 
and  interpretation  of  experience,  the  voice  can  express 
deeper  discriminations  than  words  can  possibly  repre- 
sent. Yet  he  will  perceive  also  that  delivery  cannot  be 
separated  from  words,  that  the  two  complement  and 
imply  each  other* 


II 

THE    MESSAGE 


IV.     THE   LITERARY   SPIRIT 

THE  Bible  is  necessarily  expressed  in  human  lan- 
guage. To  convey  meaning  to  another  the  speaker  or 
writer  must  use  words  and  figures  familiar  to  the  person 
addressed.  All  expression  implies  the  awakening  in 
another  of  the  faculties  that  are  active  in  the  speaker 
himself.  Language  is  hardly  possible  to  natures  that 
are  unlike.  The  most  intelligent  dog  can  understand 
his  master  only  to  a  limited  extent ;  he  may  apprehend 
the  intentions  or  a  few  simple  commands  and  directions ; 
but  if  a  child  to  whom  a  dog  is  attached  be  away,  how 
powerless  the  endeavor  to  explain  to  the  sad  little 
begging  figure  that  its  playmate  will  return  at  a  certain 
period.  The  Bible  is  governed  by  the  same  law ;  it  is 
not  a  revelation  at  all  if  it  be  not  expressed  in  human 
language. 

In  our  endeavor  to  study  the  Bible  for  its  more  ade- 
quate interpretation,  are  we  not  apt  to  begin  at  the  wrong 
end  ?  Theories,  speculations,  theological  views,  are  not 
a  good  introduction.  The  human  side  must  first  be 
understood ;  the  human  figures,  illustrations,  and  modes 
of  expression,  the  thoughts  and  feelings,  the  situations, 
scenes,  and  characters,  must  first  be  comprehended.  It 
is  not  a  message  until  the  words  awaken  the  faculties  of 
the  hearer  and  cause  him  by  the  power  of  his  imagina- 
tion to  re-create  for  himself  every  situation  and  scene. 

However  we  regard  it,  the  Bible  is  expressed  in 

43 


44  THE   MESSAGE 

human  symbols  and  language.  The  treasure  is  found  in 
earthen  vessels ;  it  is  brought  into  the  realm  of  human 
experience,  and  its  interpretation  becomes  possible.  The 
human  element  does  not  fetter  expression.  Although 
God  and  infinity  cannot  be  expressed  in  symbolic  or 
objective  form,  yet  they  can  be  realized  and  suggested; 
expression  in  its  very  nature  can  only  be  a  revelation  of 
the  impression  produced  upon  the  individual  heart. 

Often  the  chief  hindrance  to  the  vocal  interpretation 
of  the  Bible  is  felt  to  be  the  dignity  of  the  message,  the 
sublimity  of  the  scenes  and  situations,  the  depth  and 
spirituality  of  the  truth  and  experiences.  The  Bible 
should  be  approached  in  the  simplest  possible  attitude ; 
there  must  be  no  false  reverence  ;  there  must  be  nothing 
stilted ;  the  reader  must  become  a  little  child  and  accept 
in  simple  wonder  and  express  in  the  most  human  manner 
possible  these  exalted  truths.  The  higher  the  art  the 
greater  its  simplicity;  the  more  sublime  a  book,  the 
more  childlike  the  attitude  required  for  its  adequate 
interpretation.  It  is  neither  great  knowledge  nor  great 
theories  that  are  needed,  but  the  simple  feeling,  the 
genuine  realization  of  truth  by  the  human  heart.  The 
reader  must  have  felt  that  "  the  heart  is  closer  to  God 
than  the  head." 

As  far  as  possible  every  one  should  lay  aside  his 
theories,  his  prejudices,  even  his  formulated  creed ;  these 
prevent  that  teachable  attitude  towards  the  Bible  which 
is  the  first  essential  to  genuine  feeling  and  true  natural 
expression. 

Even  theories  of  inspiration  are  a  hindrance.  One  of 
the  ablest  preachers  of  our  day,  who  had  marvellous 
power  to  illustrate  the  Bible,  was  a  notoriously  poor 


THE   LITERARY   SPIRIT  45 

reader.  His  theory  of  verbal  inspiration  was  possibly  a 
primary  cause  of  his  emphasizing  every  little  word  until 
the  meaning  was  obscured ;  yet  in  his  extemporaneous 
discussion  and  description  he  was  natural  because  the 
attitude  of  his  mind  was  then  unfettered.  In  describing 
in  his  own  words  a  Bible  character,  he  gave  free  rein  to 
his  imagination  and  feeling.  He  read  the  Scriptures 
not  only  far  worse  than  he  spoke  but  worse  even  than 
he  read  anything  else.  Those  who  believe  in  plenary 
inspiration  often  read  the  Scriptures  in  a  vague,  indefinite 
mood.  On  the  other  hand,  the  young  student  of  the 
higher  criticism  often  reads  in  a  coldly  intellectual 
manner.  He  has  not  yet  risen  to  a  sympathetic  assimila- 
tion of  the  scene  on  its  simple,  human,  poetic  plane. 
He  is  in  the  attitude  of  analysis,  not  of  synthesis ;  of 
criticism,  not  of  realization ;  of  argument,  not  of  worship. 
To  read  the  Bible  well,  theories,  speculations,  and 
abstractions,  philosophical,  theological,  and  critical  views, 
must  be  transcended ;  searching  analysis  is  implied,  but 
this  is  only  preparation  —  the  reader  must  rise  to  a  loftier 
height. 

The  greater  the  message  the  more  necessary  it  is  that 
the  language  be  transparent  and  suggestive ;  for  when 
the  mind  is  struggling  to  understand  the  meaning  of  a 
word  the  message  is  lost.  The  loftiest  poetry  uses  the 
simplest  words  of  everyday  life.  How  few  and  short 
are  the  words  in  Dante's  great  line,  "  In  his  will  is  our 
peace,"  or  Homer's  climax  in  the  description  of  the 
funeral  of  Hector,  "and  thereon  cast  fire."  But  no 
language  can  be  more  direct,  simple,  and  human  than 
the  language  of  the  Bible.  "  Light  be  and  light  was  " 
has  been  regarded  in  every  age  as  the  acme  of  sublimity. 


46  THE  MESSAGE 

He  who  would  vocally  interpret  the  Bible  must  unite 
the  most  intense  intellectual  activity  and  vigorous  study 
with  childlike  teachableness. 

Again,  the  vocal  interpreter  must  be  an  artist  rather 
than  a  scientist ;  not  a  critic  looking  on  from  the  outside 
but  one  who  identifies  himself  with  the  truth  ;  not  a  cold 
indifferent  onlooker  but  one  who  is  sympathetically 
living  the  truth  he  portrays. 

The  reader  of  the  Scriptures  must  accept  the  results 
of  the  latest  scholarship.  The  most  searching  study  of 
every  passage  is  necessary,  but  no  man  can  truly  interpret 
the  Bible  from  a  critic's  point  of  view.  He  must  begin 
where  the  critic  leaves  off.  The  scientist  is  endeavoring 
to  discover  laws ;  he  must  study  even  a  sacred  book  in 
an  impersonal  and  unemotional  spirit;  feeling  must 
never  interfere  with  the  closeness  of  his  examination 
nor  sympathy  with  his  rigid  analysis.  But  the  artist 
must  comprehend  the  problem  from  a  different  point  of 
view;  he  must  not  only  understand,  he  must  feel;  he 
must  not  only  understand  the  parts,  he  must  create  the 
whole  into  one  picture ;  he  must  have  a  positive  and  com- 
plete unity,  and  must  pass  beyond  the  negative  stage  of 
examination  and  rejection  of  what  does  not  belong  to 
the  passage.  The  critic's  conclusions  are  only  the  crude 
stone  from  which  the  reader  constructs  his  building; 
the  reader's  imagination  is  needed  to  create  the  living 
scene,  and  his  voice  to  suggest  the  real  characters.  The 
artist  must  present  the  spirit  of  the  passage  and  not 
theories  or  opinions ;  it  is  not  for  him  to  give  formulas 
of  chemical  analysis  or  theories  of  cookery  but  to  furnish 
to  hungry  souls  the  bread  of  life. 

If  the  Bible  is  human,  then  it  is  literature  and  governed 


THE   LITERARY  SPIRIT  47 

by  the  laws  of  literature.  There  is  a  strange  feeling 
abroad  that  to  regard  the  Bible  as  literature  is  in  some 
way  to  degrade  it.  On  the  contrary,  the  more  exalted  a 
book,  the  higher  and  more  sublime  it  is,  the  more  does  it 
belong  to  literature.  Does  a  lyric  cease  to  be  a  lyric 
because  it  is  in  the  Bible  ?  Does  a  dramatic  passage 
lose  its  character  because  it  is  sacred  ? 

The  twenty-third  Psalm  is  meaningless  when  regarded 
as  a  mere  historical  record  of  facts,  the  references  to  the 
shepherd  are  all  figurative.  The  simple  experiences  of 
the  shepherd  which  all  can  easily  comprehend,  his 
human  love  and  care  for  the  sheep,  the  fellowship  he 
can  feel  with  dumb  and  dependent  animals,  are  so 
expressed  as  to  intimate  the  relation  of  men  to  the  great 
Shepherd.  It  is  the  understanding  of  this  figure  that 
has  caused  the  psalm  to  be  taken  as  the  expression  of 
their  deepest  religious  experience  by  so  many  men.  But 
this  figure  is  not  the  only  one  in  this  beautiful  psalm ;  a 
new  figure  on  even  a  higher  plane  is  introduced  in  the 
fifth  verse,  and  a  failure  to  recognize  this,  in  short  to 
realize  the  human  or  literary  element,  is  to  fail  to  receive 
any  impression  of  the  true  spirit  of  the  psalm.  "Thou 
spreadest  a  table  before  me  "  brings  up  the  picture  of 
God  as  more  than  a  shepherd,  as  a  Royal  Host.  One 
of  the  noblest  pictures  of  Oriental  life  was  that  of  digni- 
fied hospitality.  "Thou  anointest  my  head  with  oil," 
"  My  cup  runneth  over,"  are  marks  of  kind  attention  to 
an  honored  guest.  Such  goodness  and  loving  kindness 
are  not  occasional ;  they  "  shall  follow  me  all  the  days 
of  life"  and  "I  shall  dwell"  —  not  come  as  a  mere 
occasional  visitor  when  invited  but  as  an  honored  guest  — 
"  in  the  house  of  Jehovah  forever."  Through  these  last 


48  THE   MESSAGE 

verses  the  figure  of  host  and  guest  is  sustained  to  the 
very  end.  This  beautiful  poetic  figure  is  even  more 
forcible  than  that  of  the  shepherd  and  on  a  higher  plane, 
but  it  is  hardly  grasped  by  most  readers  or  at  any  rate 
is  not  sustained  through  the  last  half  of  the  lyric. 

Here  we  have  more  than  a  history,  more  than  a 
mere  description  of  literal  facts  :  we  have  exalted  poetry. 
The  idea  of  the  shepherd,  his  kindness  and  care,  the 
thought  of  the  host  and  his  treatment  of  his  guest,  for- 
ever welcome  in  the  royal  home,  are  used  as  illustrations 
of  the  care  of  the  great  Shepherd,  the  Divine  Host  of 
every  human  being.  These  familiar  pictures,  beauti- 
ful and  consistent  with  Oriental  life,  are  so  used  as 
to  awaken  the  imagination  and  to  suggest  something 
transcendently  great  and  glorious  in  human  experience. 
The  only  way  man  can  rise  to  an  appreciation  of  a  better 
and  higher  plane  is  by  more  intensely  realizing  the  sig- 
nificance and  correspondent  character  of  what  he  meets 
in  everyday  life. 

In  a  sense  all  literature  is  sacred.  "  The  literature  of 
a  people,"  says  Professor  Genung,  "  is  the  Bible  of  a 
people."  All  literature  expresses  the  exalted  realization 
of  the  human  soul ;  it  embodies  spiritual  feeling ;  it  ex- 
presses men's  aspirations  and  ideals,  their  dreams,  or 
what  their  intuitions  tell  them  they  ought  to  be.  The 
greatness  and  glory  of  a  nation  are  not  wealth,  discoveries, 
nor  material  prosperity ;  "  no  people  can  be  truly  great 
that  is  not  great  in  literature  and  art,"  for  these  ex- 
press, directly  or  indirectly,  the  spiritual  life  of  the  race. 
The  most  chosen  people  must  have  the  most  chosen  lit- 
erature ;  the  most  sacred  nation  must  have  the  most 
sacred  books ;  the  chosen  race  more  than  any  other 


THE   LITERARY   SPIRIT  49 

must  have  realized  the  dignity  and  possibilities  of 
human  nature,  the  exalted  ideals  and  aspirations  of  the 
human  heart,  the  divinity  and  nobleness  of  the  human 
soul. 

Half  of  the  Bible  is  poetry ;  inevitably  so.  If  the 
majority  of  its  books  were  not  poetry,  it  would  be  false 
to  human  experience,  for  "  anything  becomes  poetic  by 
being  intensely  realized."  According  to  Aristotle,  the 
difference  between  history  and  poetry  is  that  poetry 
implies  "a  higher  truth  and  a  higher  seriousness."  By 
this  test  the  Bible  must  be  not  only  literature  but  great 
literature,  the  most  exalted  poetry.  The  call  of  the 
chosen  people,  their  aspirations  and  achievements,  their 
rebellious  failures,  are  portrayed  in  vivid  colors;  their 
most  grievous  sins  are  not  extenuated. 

Its  higher  truth  and  seriousness  and  the  sublime 
simplicity  of  the  language  make  the  Bible  great  literature. 
It  cannot  be  true,  even  if  theologically  and  historically 
accurate,  if  untrue  to  the  human  heart.  It  is  because 
it  is  true  to  universal  experience  that  it  takes  hold 
of  the  consciences  of  men.  Such  truthfulness  is  as 
important  as  scientific  fact.  Colley  Gibber  rearranges 
the  play  of  "  King  Lear " ;  the  villains  are  all  killed, 
Edgar  marries  Cordelia  and  becomes  king  of  England, 
and  old  Lear  spends  his  last  years  in  peace  and  quiet- 
ness. Colley  Cibber  made  an  interesting  story,  but  he 
lost  the  higher  truth  and  seriousness  of  great  litera- 
ture. Shakespeare  was  true  —  true  to  the  experiences 
of  life.  Thus  the  vocal  interpretation  of  the  Bible  im- 
plies as  a  preparation  not  only  the  critical  examination 
but  the  thorough  study  of  it  as  literature. 

But  literary  criticism  must  be  merely  preparatory  ;  it 


50  THE   MESSAGE 

must  not  be  an  end  in  itself  any  more  than  textual  criti- 
cism, nor  must  it  be  merely  an  aesthetic  study. 

The  literary  study  of  the  Bible  is  usually  regarded 
as  a  study  of  the  mere  forms  of  the  books.  It  has  been 
called  "  literary  morphology."  It  has  often  been  given 
up  to  ingenious  "  structural  printing "  by  which  these 
ancient  and  simple  expressions  have  been  put  into  arti- 
ficial forms  of  our  own  times  and  called  by  high-sound- 
ing names  such  as  "sonnets,"  "envelope  figures,"  which 
are  purely  modern  names,  foreign  to  the  primitive 
spirit.  Structural  printing  may  aid  us  in  understanding 
the  unity  of  a  passage,  but  we  must  not  force  it  too  far 
or  make  it  a  necessary  part  of  the  original.  It  is  only  a 
suggestion  to  the  modern  eye  which  should  not  be 
allowed  to  act  independently  of  the  more  poetic  and 
spiritual  ear.  The  true  literary  study  of  the  Bible 
must  not  be  the  study  of  mere  structures  or  the 
giving  of  expressive  names  but  the  bringing  of  imagi- 
nation and  sympathy  into  active  appreciation.  It  must 
involve  a  perception  of  the  point  of  view  of  the  writer 
and  his  age,  the  hidden  spirit,  the  human  experience, 
and  the  natural  form  into  which  all  noble  feeling  passes. 
True  literary  study  is  neither  ingenious  nor  aesthetic 
but,  on  the  contrary,  a  necessary  step  to  appreciation  of 
the  meaning. 

Illustrations  of  the  necessity  of  literary  study  are 
innumerable.  Many  passages  of  the  Bible  are  totally 
misconceived  on  account  of  failure  to  realize  their  artis- 
tic character  and  form.  There  are  many  passages  which 
are  not  the  statement  of  a  universal  truth  but  are  simply 
true  to  some  one's  point  of  view.  "  Man  is  born  to 
trouble  as  the  sparks  fly  upward  "  is  a  speech  of  Job  in 


THE   LITERARY   SPIRIT  51 

the  midst  of  despair  and  anguish.  It  is  profoundly  true 
to  his  mood  of  despair ;  but  afterwards  he  repents  in 
dust  and  ashes,  and  he  is  rebuked  by  Jehovah  for  speak- 
ing "  foolishly."  The  statement  is  to  be  taken  dramati- 
cally ;  it  can  be  understood  only  by  being  related  to  the 
other  points  in  the  book ;  it  is  true  to  a  single  point  of 
view ;  to  read  it  as  a  statement  of  a  universal  truth  is  to 
misinterpret  the  Bible.  There  are  hundreds  of  passages 
of  a  similar  tenor  throughout  the  books.  To  understand 
the  Bible  we  must  grasp  the  point  of  view  ;  we  must  see 
the  truth  as  it  is  realized  by  another  soul.  A  truth  is 
often  better  understood  and  felt  when  it  is  spoken  by 
a  distinct  and  peculiar  type  of  man.  To  miss  the  dra- 
matic point  of  view  is  to  turn  much  of  the  Bible  into 
commonplace  prose  and,  in  fact,  to  introduce  innumer- 
able contradictions. 

Many  regard  the  ninetieth  Psalm,  for  example,  as  a 
pure  lyric  expression  of  universal  experience ;  but  it  is 
rather  a  dramatic  lyric,  or,  possibly,  we  may  call  it  a 
dramatic  soliloquy  or  monologue.  The  experience  of 
the  passage  is  true  of  Moses,  and  it  is  called  by  the 
writer  "  a  Prayer  of  Moses."  Whether  Moses  wrote  the 
psalm  himself  or  some  later  writer  thought  himself  back 
into  the  spirit  of  Moses  does  not  change  the  principle  at 
all.  It  is  certainly  the  portrayal,  either  by  himself  or 
by  some  one  else,  of  what  Moses  experienced.  How 
truly  can  Moses  say,  "  Lord,  thou  hast  been  my  home  ! " 
He  never  had  a  home.  He  was  cradled  on  the  Nile  and 
brought  up  in  the  palaces  of  Egypt.  Becoming  ac- 
quainted with  his  birth  and  refusing,  according  to  tradi- 
tion, to  become  king  of  Egypt,  he  sought  to  free  his 
people,  but  he  made  a  wrong  beginning  when  he  killed 


52  THE   MESSAGE 

an  Egyptian.  He  fled  into  the  desert,  where  for  forty 
years  he  wandered  keeping  the  sheep.  For  another 
forty  years  he  led  the  people  through  the  wilderness,  and 
at  last  was  accorded  only  the  privilege  of  looking  from 
the  top  of  Pisgah  over  the  land  he  must  never  possess. 
How  impressive  to  imagine  his  intense  prayer  for  a  home 
at  last !  Every  line  seems  to  refer  to  him  ;  "  Before  the 
mountains  were  brought  forth."  What  mountains? 
Those  around  him.  How  truly  he  could  say,  "  Thou 
turnest  man  to  destruction " ;  "a  thousand  years  in  thy 
sight  are  but  as  yesterday !  "  The  lingering  in  the 
wilderness  is  nothing  to  God;  it  does  not  hinder  the 
realization  of  His  plans.  Truthfully  can  he  say,  "  All  our 
days  are  passed  away  in  thy  wrath."  They  were  for- 
bidden to  enter  the  promised  land,  and  such  words  are 
strictly  and  literally  true  of  him  and  those  who  must  die 
with  him  in  the  wilderness ;  but  are  such  words  true  to 
the  spirit  of  the  gospel  ?  Should  they  be  read  at  -a 
funeral  as  if  universally  true  ? 

Except  from  a  dramatic  point  of  view  they  are  un- 
true; untrue  to  the  spirit  of  one  who  in  the  hour  of 
hardest  trial  said,  "Ask  and  receive  that  your  joy  may 
be  full."  In  a  poetic  sense  how  the  words  of  this  psalm 
broaden  our  sympathy!  How  it  intensifies  our  realiza- 
tion of  the  experience  of  a  great  soul  and  our  kinship 
to  his  disappointment  to  read  such  a  portrayal  of  his 
bitter  experience ! 

What  a  great  help  to  the  realization  of  the  Hebrew 
lyrics  or  psalms  has  been  the  discovery  of  the  so-called 
parallelisms  of  Hebrew  poetry,  a  form  of  primitive 
rhythm  called  in  Ewald's  beautiful  words,  "the  rapid 
stroke  of  alternate  wings,"  or  "  The  heaving  and  sinking 


THE   LITERARY   SPIRIT  53 

of  a  troubled  heart !  "  A  study  of  this  literary  means  of 
expression  makes  us  realize  the  spirit  of  the  poem,  and  is 
necessary  to  a  true  appreciation  of  the  lyrics  of  the  Bible. 

When  some  one  finally  discovers  the  artistic  structure 
of  the  sublime  passages  attached  to  the  book  of  Isaiah, 
these  great  conceptions  will  be  more  adequately  felt, 
and  much  that  now  appears  to  us  confused  may  be 
shown  to  be  a  necessary  part  of  their  poetic  expression. 

The  long-continued  critical  study  of  the  prophets 
has  unfolded  in  these  wonderful  books  the  beauty  and 
passion  of  Hebrew  oratory.  Many  passages  are  still 
obscure,  but  slowly  the  structure  and  relation  of  parts 
are  being  disclosed.  Vocal  expression  can  take  these 
results  and  find  a  wonderful  field  for  interpretation. 
The  discovery  of  what  was  speech  and  what  was  song, 
of  the  person  who  was  speaking  and  to  whom,  has 
explained  many  sudden  transitions  and  shown  their 
exact  accordance  with  true  poetry  and  especially  with 
the  spirit  of  that  age. 

How  marvellous  are  the  symbols  in  the  Old  Tes- 
tament;  how  true  to  the  spiritual  realization  of  a 
primitive  people  and  the  poverty  of  human  language 
are  their  figures !  It  is  always  necessary  to  express  a 
higher  truth  in  a  lower  form.  All  through  the  Bible 
we  find  a  double  meaning.  How  otherwise  could  the 
prophets  have  conveyed  their  higher,  more  sublime 
truth !  Unpopular  and  misunderstood  teachers  in  every 
age  have  been  compelled  to  adopt  the  parable  or  to 
embody  in  a  work  of  art  truth  which  could  not  be 
understood,  to  preserve  it  alive  in  the  minds  of  the  race 
till  the  soul  has  reached  sufficient  growth  to  unfold  its 
meaning. 


54  THE  MESSAGE 

The  attitude  of  the  mind  is  not  the  same  in  lyric  as 
in  dramatic  poetry.  Many  important  parts  of  the  Bible 
have  been  totally  misconceived  by  a  lack  of  knowledge 
of  human  nature,  and  the  necessary  forms  of  human 
expression. 

Sometimes  poetry  is  not  distinguished  from  prose. 
Have  we  not  a  recent  failure  in  this  regard  in  the  new 
translation  called  the  "Twentieth  Century  New  Testa- 
ment" in  modern  English?  The  passages  from  the 
Old  Testament  are  well  translated,  and  are  put  into  fine 
poetic  form.  The  translators  realized  that  these  are 
poetry.  "  We  have,"  they  say,  "  followed  the  modern 
practice  of  using  the  literary  phraseology  in  the  render- 
ing of  poetic  passages  and  quotations  from  the  Old 
Testament  and  in  the  language  of  prayer." 

The  most  successful  part  of  their  work  is  found  in 
the  Epistles.  The  nature  of  these  justifies  prose,  and 
their  translation  into  everyday  English  makes  their 
argument  clearer,  and  gives  us  a  grasp,  such  as  nothing 
before  has  given,  of  the  meaning  of  these  books.  As 
a  whole,  these  translations  are  very  helpful ;  but  there 
is  one  failure,  —  the  translators  do  not  see  that  the  para- 
bles are  a  form  of  art  Poetical  passages,  quotations 
from  the  Old  Testament,  and  prayer  are  all  recognized 
on  a  higher  plane  of  poetic  expression.  Are  not  the 
parables  of  the  Master  as  poetic,  as  exalted,  as  any  of 
these  ?  Poetry  does  not  consist  merely  in  "  literary 
phraseology,"  for  they  have  employed  simple  words  in 
their  beautiful  translation  of  the  Lord's  Prayer  and  the 
songs  of  Mary  and  Zachariah.  It  is  not  the  "  literary 
phraseology "  that  makes  these  poetic.  Consciously 
or  unconsciously  they  felt  that  these  are  poetry  and 


THE   LITERARY   SPIRIT  55 

have  adopted  a  simpler  and  more  suggestive  diction; 
but  in  the  sublime  parable  of  the  "  Prodigal,"  "  he  came 
to  himself  "  is  rendered  "  he  came  to  his  senses."  The 
meaning  is  not  the  same,  and  all  who  believe  in  intui- 
tional interpretation  will  object  to  the  phrase,  "came  to 
his  senses."  It  is  simply  colloquial  and  almost  slang. 
Again  the  clause,  "  while  I  am  starving  to  death  here," 
is  unrhythmic  if  not  the  baldest  commonplace  prose. 
"I  perish  here  with  hunger"  has  force  and  life,  and  is 
perfectly  clear.  "Rejoice"  is  certainly  as  simple  and 
modern  as  "  share  my  gladness."  Scholars  are  very 
apt  to  adopt  abstract  terms  and  lose  the  pointed  Anglo- 
Saxon  words  of  everyday  speech.  These  translations 
of  the  parables  are  really  not  translations  into  everyday 
speech  or  "  into  modern  English  "  but  the  translations 
of  the  Master's  poetry  and  art  into  the  modern  teacher's 
or  preacher's  abstract  prose  or  colloquial  discussion,  not 
into  the  poetry  of  everyday  life.  As  these  men  have 
translated  them,  the  common  people  would  hardly  hear 
them  gladly.  The  vocal  interpreter  of  the  parables 
must  realize  that  they  are  exalted  and  ideal ;  that  they 
belong  to  human  art  and  can  be  interpreted  only  in 
accordance  with  its  laws  and  spirit. 

Important  as  it  is,  mere  literary  study  of  the  Bible  is 
not  sufficient ;  a  man  may  study  literature  with  his  feet 
upon  the  mantel,  and  may  tell  in  coarse,  vulgar  phrase, 
even  in  profanity,  his  appreciation  of  artistic  beauties. 
Some  men  even  pride  themselves  on  the  transcendence 
of  their  ideals  over  their  actual  life  and  sneer  at  any  one 
who  may  profess  a  correspondence  between  his  ideals 
and  his  everyday  actions.  Men  may  appreciate  poetry 
and  become  so  fastidious  that  they  isolate  themselves 


56  THE   MESSAGE 

from  their  brothers  and  laugh  as  mere  spectators  at  the 
coarseness  and  crudities  of  the  aspirations  of  their 
fellow-men.  Men  may  grow  so  much  in  love  with 
literary  form  that  they  miss  the  spirit,  or  they  may  so 
study  artistic  beauties  as  to  remove  a  poem  from  the 
personal  experience  of  our  own  time  and  regard  it  as  a 
mere  aspect  of  the  experience  of  other  days. 

The  literary  study  of  the  Bible,  to  be  of  any  advan- 
tage to  vocal  interpretation,  must  be  a  simple  and  pro- 
found study  of  its  real  spirit,  a  creation  of  the  scenes 
by  the  imagination  and  the  sympathetic  assimilation  of 
its  experience. 

On  the  other  hand,  vocal  interpretation  is  the  real 
climax  of  true  literary  study ;  this  merely  aesthetic  lit- 
erary study  is  best  shown  to  be  false  by  vocal  expres- 
sion. Vocal  expression  demands  that  ideas  be  grasped, 
and  appreciated,  that  the  scene  be  really  created,  and 
that  the  sympathy  be  genuine.  Is  it  too  much  to 
say  that  vocal  interpretation  is  the  necessary  climax  of 
the  true  literary  study  of  any  work  of  literature  ?  At 
any  rate,  every  one  who  knows  the  power  of  vocal 
expression  will  acknowledge  that  it  is  a  valuable  aid  to 
literary  study,  especially  that  of  the  Bible. 

"  No  one  can  regard,"  says  Alexander  von  Humboldt, 
the  father  of  modern  philology,  "  a  written  word  as  a 
real  word;  the  real  word  is  spoken."  Vocal  expres- 
sion is  the  translation  of  the  record  into  a  natural  lan- 
guage, of  a  dead  form  into  a  living  one;  hence  the 
highest  literature  always  implies  vocal  expression.  The 
more  sublime  the  literature,  the  more  does  it  call  for 
the  suggestionof  thejiving  voice.  Printing  is  but  an 
imperfect  recording  of~ expression.  Vocal  expression  is 


THE  LITERARY   SPIRIT  57 

the  giving  of  truth  by  personality.  The  noble  record 
of  the  thoughts  and  feelings  of  another  age  is  inter- 
preted by  a  living  soul.  Vocal  expression  requires  the 
reader  to  become  a  sharer  in  the  experience  of  those 
whose  words  he  repeats. 

The  reader  must  enter  into  sympathy  with  the  ex- 
perience of  another  age ;  he  must  link  his  soul  in  unity 
with  the  aspirations,  the  sorrows,  and  joys  of  his  kind. 
He  must  appreciate  the  universal  forms,  which  in  every 
age  and  clime  have  been  the  necessary  expression  of 
human  feeling.  He  must  relive  the  truth.  The  ex- 
perience of  the  whole  race  is  possible  to  every  individ- 
ual. He  who  uses  his  imagination  and  sympathy  can 
suggest  the  experience  of  one  who  lived  thousands  of 
years  ago.  However  far  the  reader  may  be  removed 
from  Jerusalem  he  must  hear  the  tinkling  ankle  chains 
about  the  feet  of  the  fashionable  women  of  Isaiah's 
day.  How  far  soever  he  may  be  from  Bethel  he  must 
see  the  stony  road  of  Jacob  transformed  into  a  stair- 
way leading  onward  and  upward  to  heaven,  with  the 
angels  passing  to  and  fro ;  he  must  feel  the  stone  upon 
which  he  lies  as  the  first  step  of  that  golden  stair. 

The  very  beginning   of   studies   for   adequate  vocal 
interpretation  of   the   Bible   requires   that  the   human 
elements  of  the  book  be  especially  realized.     The  mes- 
sage must  not  only  be  understood,  but  every  idea,  scene, 
or  character  must  be  so   realized  as  to  cause  modula-   \ 
tion  of  the  voice.     Vocal  expression  is  the  revelation  of 
life.     No  truth  can  be  expressed  by  a  natural  language 
that  is  not  at   that  very  moment   lived.      The   reader     • 
must  not  regard  the  Bible   as   some   far-off   mountain 
which  he  is  unable  to  approach ;  he  must  enter  into  a 


$8  THE   MESSAGE 

direct  perception  of  every  experience,  or  all  his  vocal 
expression  will  be  false.  Hence  it  is  first  necessary  to 
come  to  some  realization  of  the  various  literary  forms 
which  are  found  in  the  Bible,  and  to  understand  the 
vocal  expression  of  the  lyric,  the  dramatic,  and  the  epic 
spirit,  and  how  far  each  specific  literary  form  modifies 
vocal  expression. 


V.     THE    NARRATIVE    SPIRIT 

THE  story  was  among  the  first  steps  in  the  develop- 
ment of  literature.  It  was  no  doubt  one  of  the  first 
representations  of  life.  By  it  a  group  of  men  could 
enter  sympathetically  and  imaginatively  into  the  appre- 
hension of  each  other's  lives. 

When  one  man  hears  a  story,  he  can  realize  imagina- 
tively his  own  aspirations  and  ideals,  and  enter  into  sym- 
pathetic understanding  of  the  deeds  and  experience  of  his 
fellow-men.  The  story  is  the  simplest  and  most  neces- 
sary means  by  which  one  can  influence  another.  The 
war-dance  of  the  Indians  is  but  a  story  in  pantomime. 
Similar  performances  were  no  doubt  universal  among 
primitive  races.  They  illustrate  not  only  the  dramatic 
instinct  of  the  human  heart  but  the  method  by  which 
men  first  began  to  represent  life  in  word  and  act. 

Though  the  story  comes  early  in  the  history  of  the 
race,  we  find  a  surprisingly  small  number  of  good  story- 
tellers among  even  the  great  masters  of  literature. 
According  to  Carlyle,  ability  to  tell  a  story  is  a  high 
mark  of  genius.  To  state  a  simple  sequence  of  events 
requires  the  highest  characteristics  of  art,  simplicity, 
and  sympathetic  responsiveness.  The  power  to  state 
events  truthfully,  without  moralizing  or  theorizing,  is 
found  in  only  the  supreme  masters,  such  as  Homer  and 
Shakespeare.  Thus,  while  story-telling  marks  the  first 

59 


60  THE   MESSAGE 

steps  in  literature,  it  marks  also  the  climax  of  literary 
power. 

If  there  are  few  great  story-tellers  in  literature,  still 
fewer  can  naturally  and  adequately  interpret  a  story  by 
the  voice.  Upon  the  stage  a  story  is  always  regarded 
as  a  bore.  When  a  story  occurs  in  a  play,  it  must  be 
told  rapidly  and  rushed  over  as  soon  as  possible,  or  it 
will  interfere  with  dramatic  movement.  In  life,  the 
long-winded  story-teller  is  a  notorious  hindrance  to 
conversation.  Yet,  a  well-told  story  is  possibly  the 
highest  means  of  entertainment,  and  a  popular  and 
influential  form  of  art  in  every  age. 

To  read  or  tell  a  story  well  requires  imagination  and 
sympathy.  The  pictures  must  be  vivid,  and  must  move 
naturally  and  vigorously.  Idea  must  follow  idea  with- 
out effort,  for  the  true  story  flows  freely,  and  there 
must  be  a  simple  and  childlike  attitude  and  sympathetic 
response  to  every  event.  A  story  is  a  part  of  life.  The 
reader  must  so  identify  himself  with  each  event  that 
every  scene  shall  live  and  every  event  move. 

A  story  must  secure  attention.  No  doubt  must  be 
left  in  the  listener's  mind  as  to  the  central  point  of 
interest;  and  as  the  reader  passes  from  one  event  to 
another,  there  must  be  such  a  discrimination  and  vivid 
realization  of  each  idea  in  succession  that  there  is  varia- 
tion in  all  the  modulations  of  the  voice.  A  story  should 
be  spirited  and  animated,  and  the  fundamental  event  or 
object  in  each  scene  must  be  so  vividly  portrayed  that 
the  subordinate  parts  will  be  thrown  into  the  back- 
ground. "  The  secret  of  boring  people,"  says  a  French 
proverb,  "is  to  tell  everything."  If  the  reader  accentu- 
ates with  meditative  seriousness  every  possible  detail  or 


THE   NARRATIVE    SPIRIT  6 1 

idea  in  a  story,  he  destroys  its  movement  A  true  story 
must  have  perspective  as  well  as  movement.  The 
reader's  own  imagination  and  sympathy  must  be  awake. 
If  he  is  cold  and  indifferent,  how  can  he  expect  to 
interest  his  hearers  ? 

A  story  should  never  be  a  mere  succession  of  pic- 
tures. It  implies  characters,  and  a  dramatic  instinct  is 
needed  to  see  things  from  the  point  of  view  of  different 
men.  All  dramatic  poetry  is  founded  on  the  story,  and 
a  story  that  is  worth  telling  always  includes  a  dramatic 
element.  A  story  is  the  basis  also  of  epic  poetry. 

The  reader  must  apprehend  that  a  story  contains  not 
only  scenes,  situations,  and  characters,  but  events  and 
impressions  of  events.  In  order  that  we  may  realize 
the  effect  of  events  upon  the  participants,  the  story  must 
constantly  vary  in  movement. 

The  stories  of  the  Bible  have  a  strong  hold  upon  the 
human  heart,  told  as  they  are  with  the  simplicity  and 
narvete"  of  a  primitive  age.  They  are  not  pieces  of 
rhetorical  or  literary  display,  nor  are  they  garnished 
with  affected,  far-fetched  allusions.  They  are  simple, 
dignified,  and  sublime  narratives,  and  present  the  char- 
acters of  men  and  events  in  the  most  direct  and  truthful 
manner.  The  wickedness  of  the  participants  is  not 
mitigated,  nor  are  events  put  forward  with  ingenious 
theories  or  explanations. 

The  first  step  in  the  development  of  power  to  inter- 
pret the  Bible  by  the  voice,  demands  necessarily  a  study 
of  the  Bible  story,  and  the  best  method  of  presenting  it. 
It  is  also  the  first  interpretation  which  is  demanded  of 
every  one.  Who  has  not  read  a  Bible  story  to  chil- 
dren ?  The  interest  awakened  by  these  stories,  and  the 


62  THE   MESSAGE 

endeavor  to  read  them  for  himself,  has  been  one  of  the 
first  steps  in  the  education  of  many  a  child. 

It  is  a  curious  fact  that  those  who  have  made  so 
much  of  the  literary  study  of  the  Bible  have  nothing 
to  say  in  regard  to  the  Biblical  story.  Possibly  it  is 
because  the  story  cannot  be  printed  in  an  artificial  form 
like  the  so-called  "  sonnet,"  or  "  envelope  form." 

As  an  illustration  of  the  character  of  the  Bible  story, 
take  the  fifth  chapter  of  2  Kings.  Naaman  is  here 
introduced  to  us  as  "  a  great  man  "  in  Syria.  Then  the 
reader  comes  upon  a  fact  that  awakens  sympathy  and 
regret,  before  which  he  pauses  usually  after  the  word 
"but."  He  changes  the  texture,  color,  key,  and  move- 
ment of  the  voice  in  rendering  "but  he  was  a  leper." 
To  read  the  story  requires  the  accentuation  of  the  cen- 
tral conceptions.  There  are  few  antitheses,  and,  there- 
fore, the  points  are  presented  in  such  a  way  as  to 
awaken  simple  attention.  When  the  reader  comes  to 
such  a  clause  as  the  last  one  of  the  first  verse,  there 
must  be  not  only  changes  in  feeling  and  sympathetic 
realization,  but  the  pauses  and  many  changes  introduced 
must  emphasize  also  the  real  theme  and  spirit  of  the 
story. 

The  reader  then  returns  (v.  2)  to  the  narrative  spirit, 
introducing  "the  little  maid"  with  sympathetic  atten- 
tion, especially  giving  the  last  clause  suggestively,  to 
indicate  her  position.  We  sympathize  with  her  and 
linger  over  her  words  (v.  3),  realizing  her  simple  faith. 
A  story  interests  on  account  of  the  sympathetic  partici- 
pation of  men  in  each  other's  lives.  Hence  it  demands 
a  simple  yet  adequate  presentation  of  the  character  and 
point  of  view  of  each  participant. 


THE  NARRATIVE   SPIRIT  63 

In  the  fifth  verse,  the  thought  centres  upon  the  letter 
from  king  to  king.  We  must  appreciate  the  point  of 
view  of  the  king  of  Syria,  who  would  naturally  send  the 
letter  to  the  king  of  Israel  rather  than  to  the  prophet ; 
so  that  "  letter  "  is  the  centre  of  attention  and  the  words 
"  King  of  Israel "  are  naturally  inferred.  A  long  pause 
is  needed  in  verse  5,  and  great  change  of  pitch,  to 
indicate  that  he  refers  back  to  Naaman.  We  take  some 
interest  in  the  description  of  the  presents,  on  account  of 
the  outcome  of  the  story,  and  because  it  pictures  Ori- 
ental custom,  and  shows  the  sincerity  of  the  king  of 
Syria. 

As  the  king  of  Israel  reads  the  letter,  notice  how  we 
identify  ourselves  with  him.  Curiosity,  attention,  and 
the  fact  that  we  also  know  its  purport,  cause  the  letter 
to  be  read  more  rapidly  than  the  descriptive  clauses. 
But  the  conduct  of  the  king  after  reading  the  letter  will 
naturally  surprise  us,  and  the  fundamental  law  of  vocal 
interpretation  requires  us  to  express  the  impressions 
which  would  be  naturally  produced  by  the  events.  So 
we  suggest  surprise  at  "rent  his  clothes,"  and  sug- 
gest something  of  the  spirit  in  which  he  speaks.  We 
must  truthfully  realize  in  all  stories  the  characters  and 
motives  of  men,  since  all  "literature  is  a  criticism  of 
life";  and  this  is  preeminently  true  of  the  story. 

We  must  introduce  Elisha  in  the  last  clause  with  a 
feeling  of  interest.  Note  how  many  antitheses  may  be 
awakened.  An  accent  upon  "Israel"  would  indicate 
national  pride,  or  would  bring  up  an  antithesis  that 
there  was  no  prophet  in  Syria.  The  accentuation  of 
"  is  "  would  imply  that  the  prophet  knew  all  about  the 
story  of  the  little  maid ;  emphasis  on  "  know "  would 


64  THE  MESSAGE 

imply  that  Naaman  had  doubts ;  emphasis  upon  "  he  " 
would  suggest  that  the  king  had  forgotten  that  there 
was  a  prophet ;  salient  emphasis  upon  "  prophet "  would 
indicate  that  while  Israel  had  no  king,  it  still  had  a 
prophet ;  which  would  be  almost  an  insult  to  the  king. 
There  should  be  some  emphasis,  but  not  enough  to 
imply  an  antithesis.  This  may  seem  a  fine  point,  but 
vocal  interpretation  is  full  of  such  elements,  which  can- 
not be  reduced  to  mechanical  rule,  and  which  each 
reader  must  decide  for  himself. 

In  the  ninth  verse  we  have  a  vivid  picture  which  the 
reader  must  present  as  simply  and  definitely  as  possible. 
In  the  tenth  verse,  the  message  of  the  prophet  will  be 
given  with  great  kindliness,  without  any  antagonism, 
but  with  the  simple  attitude  of  one  who  appreciated  the 
dignity  of  the  situation.  There  is  some  surprise  at  the 
fact  of  a  messenger  being  sent,  which  should  be  indi- 
cated, of  course,  in  the  reading.  We  linger  with  inter- 
est over  the  directions  in  the  tenth  verse,  and  also  over 
the  promise.  Then  we  are  brought  into  an  attitude  of 
regret  and  also  of  pity  because  Naaman  was  wroth. 
This  is  shown  by  changes  of  color,  key,  and  movement. 
From  this  impression  we  pass  over  to  an  objective  or 
dramatic  interpretation  of  his  thought  and  feeling.  He 
feels  the  superior  beauty  of  the  rivers  of  his  own  coun- 
try as  contrasted  with  Jordan  and  his  antitheses  would 
be  very  strong.  The  last  clause  of  verse  12  must  be 
given  with  narrative  simplicity  and  intensity.  A  great 
contrast  comes  in  verse  13.  Here  we  describe  with 
sympathetic  admiration  the  act  of  his  servants,  and 
tenderly  realize  the  spirit  of  humility  in  their  appeal 
to  so  great  a  man  on  such  a  delicate  subject.  No 


THE   NARRATIVE    SPIRIT  6$ 

amount  of  mechanical  analysis  or  mere  rules  can  give 
the  least  hint  how  this  should*  be  read.  It  requires 
imagination  and  sympathy  and  dramatic  insight  to 
realize  just  how  the  servants  approached  their  master. 

In  verse  14  we  feel  great  admiration  for  Naaman 
when  he  yields  to  his  servants  and  obeys  the  directions 
of  the  prophet.  Before  stating  the  result  there  is  a 
long  pause ;  we  express  our  wonder  at  the  miraculous 
change,  and  give  the  words  slowly  and  intensely.  We 
participate  in  his  joy  and  admire  him  as  he  returns  to 
the  man  of  God,  to  express  his  gratitude.  We  suggest 
the  urgency  of  his  request  that  the  man  of  God  should 
accept  the  presents ;  but  we  also  admire  the  dignified 
and  noble  attitude  of  the  prophet  in  verse  16,  and 
accentuate  strongly  his  impersonal,  unselfish,  and  noble 
spirit.  The  entreaty  of  Naaman  and  his  explanation 
and  apology  for  going  into  the  house  of  Rimmon  are 
very  natural.  The  prophet  maintains  the  same  digni- 
fied manner  in  his  reply.  The  "  Go  in  peace "  must 
be  given  with  such  dignity  as  to  furnish  the  climax  of 
the  whole  story. 

After  a  pause  and  with  a  marked  change,  the  second 
part  of  the  story  (v.  20)  is  begun  with  attention  directed 
to  Gehazi.  His  talking  to  himself  should  be  suggested 
without  literally  imitating  him  or  identifying  ourselves 
with  him,  because  we  are  not  in  sympathy  with  his 
speech,  and  this  is  accordingly  given  more  rapidly.  We 
enter  into  the  situation  and  admire  Naaman  for  alight- 
ing from  his  chariot,  although  but  a  servant  is  following 
him ;  it  shows  the  greatness  of  his  gratitude  to  the 
prophet.  Gehazi's  lies  and  requests  for  silver  and  rai- 
ment are  given  with  a  neutral  coloring.  We  have  no 


66  THE   MESSAGE 

sympathy  with  his  lies,  nor  is  it  necessary  to  suggest 
much  more  than  his  meaning.  But  our  attitude  toward 
Naaman  is  different,  and  we  strongly  accentuate  the 
word  "two"  in  his  desire  to  give  double  what  was 
requested.  Then  follows  one  of  the  most  dramatic  of 
passages.  Elisha's  question  and  Gehazi's  pretended 
indifference  are  followed  by  the  most  intense  of  re- 
bukes. Elisha's  condemnation  should  not  be  given 
with  anger.  It  contains  an  element  of  patriotism,  and 
the  high  realization  of  the  opportunity  to  emphasize  the 
greatness  of  Jehovah  in  the  mind  of  this  foreign  war- 
rior, and  to  leave  nothing  that  would  mar  his  conception 
of  God.  It  is  sublime  in  its  intensity  and  indignation, 
but  shows  also  his  grief  at  the  base  conduct  of  his 
servant.  The  same  is  still  more  true  of  the  prophet's 
description  of  his  doom.  This  should  be  given  slowly 
and  intensely,  as  something  which  in  the  nature  of  the 
case  was  inevitable,  not  as  a  personal  or  angry  inflic- 
tion of  a  curse.  The  sublimest  point  in  the  whole  story 
is  found  at  the  close  of  the  last  verse,  which  should  be 
given  slowly  and  on  a  lower  key.  The  reader  feels  a 
certain  awe  at  the  calamity  and  terrible  fall.  He  must 
identify  himself  with  the  scene,  and  appreciate  the 
significance  of  what  had  happened.  He  does  not  expe- 
rience pity  nor  sentimental  regret,  nor  even  the  same 
kind  of  emotion  that  he  felt  for  Naaman's  leprosy,  but 
instead  a  sense  of  great  reverence  and  awe  at  the 
punishment  which  comes  upon  Gehazi  as  the  result  of 
his  evil-doing. 


VI.     THE   DIDACTIC   SPIRIT 

ALL  expression  primarily  aims  to  make  men  think,  and 
all  language  is  an  appeal  from  one  mind  to  another. 
The  conscious  recognition  and  intellectual  perception 
of  ideas  is  of  prime  importance.  Language  is  composed 
of  signs  and  symbols.  These  express  the  actions  of 
the  faculties  or  powers  of  mind  in  the  speaker,  and  their 
first  intent  is  to  awaken  the  same  faculties  in  others. 

The  conscious  recognition  in  one  man  of  the  ideas  of 
another  is  primarily  intellectual.  Even  to  be  in  sympa- 
thy men  must  think  similar  ideas.  Reason  is  the  pri- 
mary characteristic  of  man.  Hence  the  appeal  to  reason 
must  be  an  essential  element  in  all  expression.  To 
bring  the  thinking  of  one  man  into  unison  with  that  of 
another  is  the  basis  of  all  communication. 

There  are  many  forms  of  the  didactic  in  the  Bible. 
We  have  first  what  has  been  called  the  "  Wisdom  Lit- 
erature," consisting  of  remarks  and  sayings  or  old  saws 
regarding  the  ordinary  events  of  life.  These  should  be 
given  weight  and  relative  value.  Proverbs  should  be 
read  with  great  attention  to  the  transition  of  subjects. 

Another  literary  form  close  to  the  didactic  is  that  of 
the  epistle.  Paul's  letters  have  a  peculiar  and  distinct 
character,  often  rising  into  eloquence.  Sometimes  they 
exhibit  the  personal  affection  of  a  letter  to  a  friend. 
But  everywhere,  we  feel  the  familiar  and  personal 
appeal  of  a  real  letter.  The  book  of  Luke  and  the 

67 


68  THE   MESSAGE 

book  of  Acts  are  also  letters  written  to  Theophilus, 
though,  on  account  of  their  narrative  spirit,  this  fact  is 
often  forgotten.  But  though  these  books  are  presented 
definitely  as  pictures,  they  show  in  fact  many  character- 
istics of  a  letter. 

A  third  form  of  the  scriptural  didactic  is  the  collo- 
quial. It  may  be  illustrated  by  the  epistle  of  James, 
which  is  even  more  familiar  than  the  epistles  of  Paul. 
The  discussion  about  respect  of  persons  regarding  one 
who  was  asked  to  occupy  a  good  place  because  he  was 
well  clothed,  and  the  poor  man  who  was  invited  to  sit 
on  the  footstool,  may  be  read  to-day  with  definite  appli- 
cation to  many  churches. 

The  vocal  expression  of  the  didactic  spirit  demands 
T  a  careful  study  of  conversation.  It  demands  also  the 
simplest  elements  of  naturalness.  To  awaken  and 
dominate  thinking  in  another,  we  spontaneously  make 
our  inflections  pointed.  If  we  take  the  simplest  phrase, 
we  find  that  in  trying  to  win  attention  and  get  another 
man  intellectually  to  realize  what  is  said,  there  is  an 
extension  of  what  is  called  conversational  form,  inflec- 
tion, change  of  pitch,  pause,  and  touch,  and  all  the  pri- 
mary elements  of  naturalness. 

The  didactic  portions  of  the  Bible  are  easiest  to  ex- 
press, and  they  should  be  among  the  first  which  the 
Bible  reader  endeavors  to  master.  As  they  contain 
little  feeling,  a  simple  accentuation  of  the  thought  is 
what  is  most  necessary.  While  the  didactic  spirit  is 
simple,  yet  from  another  point  of  view  it  is  difficult. 

In  one  sense  the  sublimest  and  most  difficult  thing 
the  reader  has  to  do  is  to  read  the  plainest  prose  in  a 
way  to  awaken  interest.  There  are  also  peculiar  dangers 


THE   DIDACTIC   SPIRIT  69 

in  the  development  of  the  true  didactic  spirit.  One  is 
the  repression  of  all  feeling.  When  a  reader  is  merely 
emphasizing  the  meaning,  he  is  in  danger  of  eliminat- 
ing all  emotion,  in  order  to  become  purely  judicial  and 
to  give  facts  merely  for  their  own  sake  unrelated  to 
human  experience. 

Many  persons  read  the  Bible  in  a  critical  attitude, 
and  this  is  the  special  danger  of  the  student.  While 
this  attitude  is  at  times  necessary,  yet  it  is  but  tempo- 
rary. Even  the  most  didactic  portions  of  the  Bible, 
such  as  the  Proverbs,  should  be  presented  with  impres- 
sive seriousness  and  a  deep  realization  of  truth.  The 
intellectual  spirit  is  one  of  eagerness  and  earnestness. 
Thinking  predominates,  but  thinking  is  never  wholly 
isolated  from  emotion. 

There  is  another  danger  to  be  guarded  against, — 
that  of  a  patronizing  spirit.  A  scriptural  truth  is  often 
given  in  such  a  way  as  to  imply  that  it  is  for  the  hearers 
and  not  for  the  reader,  although  the  reader  may  be 
unconscious  of  this  lofty  attitude  of  handing  the  truth 
down  as  if  to  those  below  him.  Such  an  apparent 
attitude  is  a  serious  fault,  and  carries  the  reader  into 
the  neutral  realm  where  sympathetic  identification  with 
truth  becomes  impossible.  The  genuine  didactic  spirit 
blends  harmoniously  with  the  lyric  and  dramatic  spirit, 
a*s  with  the  epic.  The  false  didactic  spirit  does  not  do 
this,  but  becomes  dogmatic,  negative,  neutral,  cold, 
when  it  does  not  descend  to  the  trivial. 

The  didactic  spirit  alone  is  not  the  highest  element  in 
expression.  It  may  be  the  basis,  but  it  must  be  co- 
ordinated with  the  higher  purposes  and  experience  of 
the  human  soul.  It  comes  in  often  to  discharge  its  own 


70  THE  MESSAGE 

specific  function,  not  in  opposition  to  the  other  elements, 
but  in  direct  cooperation  with  them.  In  nearly  all 
cases  it  is  introductory  and  subordinate  to  the  higher 
elements  of  literature. 

As  an  illustration  of  the  genuine  didactic  spirit,  the 
reader  should  take  some  specially  intellectual  passages 
in  Proverbs,  and  give  the  truth  with  great  saliency  and 
clearness,  but  always  with  weight.  While  speaking  as 
naturally  as  in  common  conversation,  he  should  be  able 
to  accentuate  the  rhythm  by  giving  the  words  slowly 
and  impressively.  He  should  avoid  merely  conveying 
the  meaning,  without  suggesting  its  importance.  Those 
who  teach  must  have  faith  in  the  truth  and  faith  in  the 
possibilities  of  those  whom  they  would  awaken. 

One  of  the  finest  passages  for  the  study  of  conversa- 
tional naturalness  that  can  be  found  is  the  epistle  of 
James.  Take,  for  example,  the  passage  upon  the  tongue, 
(chap.  iii).  The  directness  of  James  should  be  accentu- 
ated. The  reader  should  read  this  as  if  talking  to  one 
man,  and  at  the  same  time  not  merely  teaching  that 
man,  but  realizing  the  application  of  the  truth  to  him- 
self. The  great  contrasts  between  the  ideas  and  the 
illustrations  should  be  especially  marked.  All  discrimi- 
nations, and  all  transitions  in  the  attitude  of  the  mind, 
should  be  emphasized.  Still  another  illustration  is 
James's  idea  of  Faith  (ii.  14-26).  Each  new  illustration 
needs  to  be  strongly  accentuated  to  lead  the  mind  of  the 
hearer  onward. 


VII.    THE   ORATORIO   SPIRIT 

PROBABLY  no  form  of  human  expression  is  more  dig- 
nified and  important  than  Oratory.  In  advancing  any 
cause  of  civilization,  accomplishing  any  reform,  or 
perpetuating  liberty,  oratory  has  always  been  the  most 
necessary  art.  There  is  a  tendency  in  our  time  to  sneer 
at  oratory,  but  as  Professor  Jebb  has  well  said,  the  Muse 
of  Eloquence  and  the  Muse  of  Liberty  have  always 
been  twin  sisters.  Oratory,  more  than  any  other  art, 
is  founded  upon  the  idealization  of  man.  Wherever 
oratory  has  flourished,  liberty,  civilization,  and  progress 
have  been  found.  Where  it  has  been  despised,  or 
neglected,  there  liberty  has  lost  its  hold.  As  it  is  the 
direct  personal  presentation  of  truth,  the  expression  of 
the  desire  of  one  to  win  the  cooperation  of  others,  even 
the  stating  of  truth  in  such  a  way  as  to  save  life,  it  is  the 
most  emphatic  expression  of  truth  possible.  Behind 
all  true  oratory,  there  exists  conviction.  The  oratoric 
spirit,  therefore,  is  the  presentation  of  thought  with  the 
suggestion  of  the  greatest  weight  and  importance. 

It  is  not  surprising,  therefore,  to  find  the  Bible  full  of 
the  spirit  of  oratory.  Later  investigation  of  the  prophet- 
ical books  has  found  that  these  are,  in  the  main,  frag- 
ments of  orations  or  sermons.  The  prophet  was  not 
primarily  one  who  foresaw ;  he  was  a  seer  in  a  higher 
sense.  He  realized  intensely  the  life  of  the  moment. 
He  saw  into  the  life,  the  needs,  of  his  own  age,  and 

71 


72  THE   MESSAGE 

related  all  to  the  ideal  purposes  and  intention  of 
Jehovah.  The  prophet  is  one  who  sees  things  as  God 
sees  them.  Isaiah  was  statesman,  orator,  and  prime 
minister  of  the  nation.  The  prophets  were  the  teachers 
of  their  age,  representatives  of  the  deepest  spiritual  life 
of  their  time.  Everywhere  their  appeal  to  conscience, 
their  rebuke  of  sin  in  high  places,  shows  the  oratoric 
spirit.  Without  a  perception  of  the  genuine  nature  of 
this  spirit,  much  in  the  Bible  cannot  be  really  understood. 

The  salient  characteristic  of  oratory,  as  distinguished 
from  other  forms  of  art,  is  its  directness  of  purpose. 
This  does  not  imply,  as  many  think,  that  other  arts 
have  no  purpose.  The  play  of  "  Macbeth  "  has  a  pro- 
foundly moral  motive ;  but  in  the  drama  the  primary 
aim  is  to  portray  faithfully  the  facts  of  nature  and  of 
human  life  and  to  impress  the  living  scene  upon  the 
audience.  The  purpose  in  dramatic  art  and  in  painting 
and  sculpture  is  indirect ;  that  is,  the  artist  keeps  his 
purpose  in  the  background,  always  subservient  to 
fidelity  of  portraiture.  The  poet,  painter,  and  sculptor 
primarily  aim  to  be  true  to  the  larger  and  broader  aspects 
of  nature  and  humanity. 

While  oratory  has  something  of  this  fidelity  to  nature, 
while  the  true  orator  struggles  to  speak  the  truth,  he 
endeavors  to  present  it  forcibly  and  directly  to  the 
consciences  of  men.  His  purpose  is  rarely  indirect. 
Poetry,  painting,  and  sculpture  endeavor  to  awaken  the 
faculties  of  man  to  the  apprehension  of  the  truth ;  but 
they  leave  a  man  to  act  as  he  pleases  when  once 
awakened.  The  orator  not  only  endeavors  to  rouse  the 
man  but  to  direct  him  definitely  to  the  road  he  should 
take.  Oratory  seeks  such  truths  and  illustrations  as  will 


THE   ORATORIO   SPIRIT  73 

influence  the  audience  to  see  the  truth  from  one  point  of 
view.  The  painter,  the  poet,  the  dramatist,  on  the  other 
hand,  endeavor  to  present  the  truth  in  a  manner  likely 
to  lead  the  observer  to  realize  the  broader  truths  of 
nature,  and  thus  influence  the  man  unconsciously.  The 
orator  endeavors  directly  and  consciously  to  persuade. 

It  will  be  seen,  therefore,  that  the  genuine  spirit  of 
oratory,  as  related  to  vocal  expression,  depends  upon 
the  realization  of  the  purposes  possible  to  a  human 
being,  and  of  the  means  by  which  he  can  influence  his 
fellow-men ;  and  the  relation  of  all  these  to  their  right 
expression  through  the  voice. 

The  oratoric  purposes  divide  themselves  according  to 
the  powers  or  faculties  which  must  be  awakened  in  the 
audience.  The  lowest  plane  on  which  the  orator  may 
approach  his  audience  is  that  of  instruction. 

The  speaker  must  first  of  all  make  his  audience  think. 

Instruction  is  the  first  purpose,  therefore,  which  must 
be  adopted  in  speaking.  Especially  at  the  beginning  it 
is  necessary  for  the  orator  to  come  into  mental  union 
with  his  hearers.  Men  must  think  together  before  they 
can  feel  together. 

The  vocal  interpretation  of  oratoric  passages  demands 
accentuation  of  inflection  with  all  the  elements  of  con- 
versational form  and  the  emphatic  pause.  These 
appeal  directly  to  the  reason,  and  awaken  thought  and 
deliberation. 

This  element  of  instruction  or  explanation  is  well 
illustrated  by  Paul's  defence  before  Agrippa.  He  first 
states  the  facts  simply  and  quietly,  and  tells  the  story 
of  his  life;  thus  interesting  his  hearers  and  gradually 
leading  to  a  higher  plane  of  spiritual  persuasion. 


74  THE   MESSAGE 

Paul,  as  a  true  scholar,  always  begins  in  a  manner 
to  awaken  thought,  as,  for  example,  in  his  address  at 
Athens  (Acts  xvii.  16-34).  He  begins  by  an  oratori- 
cal expedient,  thinking  with  the  men  before  him,  in 
order  to  get  them  to  think  with  him.  Like  a  true  orator 
he  never  starts  with  antagonism  but  always  on  a  com- 
mon plane  with  his  audience.  So  here  he  says  :  "  I  per- 
ceive that  in  all  things  ye  are  very  religious.  As  I  was 
passing  by,  I  saw  an  altar  with  this  inscription,  '  To  the 
Unknown  God.'  "  And  from  these  words  on  one  of  their 
own  altars  he  proceeds  to  the  enforcement  of  his  higher 
persuasion.  He  quotes  also  from  one  of  their  own 
poets,  to  show  the  foolishness  of  worshipping  statues 
and  graven  images,  which  indicated  a  low  conception  of 
the  Divine,  and  must  give  way  to  the  higher  realization 
of  Him  "in  whom  we  live  and  move  and  have  our 
being." 

The  awakening  of  feeling  is  another  purpose  which 
peculiarly  belongs  to  the  orator.  When  Paul  felt  the 
spirit  of  antagonism  in  his  audience  after  his  arrest  in 
Jerusalem  (Acts  xxiii.  i-io),  he  threw  a  firebrand  among 
them,  which  roused  them  to  conflict  with  each  other,  and 
brought  part  of  the  audience  to  his  side,  so  that  in  the 
midst  of  their  great  excitement  he  escaped.  He  incited 
the  Pharisees  to  oppose  the  Sadducees,  and  thus  identi- 
fied himself  with  one  class  in  opposition  to  another,  in 
order  to  win  fellowship  of  feeling  with  at  least  one  part 
of  his  audience. 

To  one  of  the  most  turbulent  of  all  audiences  he 
exclaimed,  "  I  am  a  Jew,  born  in  Tarsus  of  Cilicia,  but 
brought  up  in  this  city  at  the  feet  of  Gamaliel,  instructed 
according  to  the  strict  manner  of  the  law  of  our  fathers, 


THE   ORATORIO   SPIRIT  75 

being  zealous  for  God  even  as  ye  all  are  this  day."  He 
spoke  to  them  "in  the  Hebrew  tongue,"  which  made 
them  "  the  more  quiet."  He  then  proceeded  to  lead  his 
audience  to  a  broader  perception  of  the  principles  of 
Christians. 

Another  purpose  in  speaking  is  rebuke.  A  marvel- 
lous example  of  this  is  found  in  Nathan's  rebuke  of 
David  (2  Sam.  xii.  7).  Notice  his  introduction.  He 
adopts  the  narrative  spirit  for  a  didactic  purpose.  He 
tells  David  a  simple  story,  and  when  David  has  given 
expression  to  his  anger,  the  whole  bearing  of  Nathan 
changes,  and  with  intense  feeling  he  says  very  slowly 
and  impressively,  "Thou  art  the  man,"  and  follows  with 
a  long  and  severe  rebuke  from  Jehovah.  The  short 
sentence,  "Thou  art  the  man,"  must  be  spoken  in  the 
spirit  of  all  true  rebuke,  namely,  with  deep  regret ;  not 
with  antagonism,  but  in  such  a  way  that  the  man  will 
condemn  himself.  This  is  true  of  all  the  rebukes  in  the 
Old  Testament  and  in  the  New.  When  read  in  the 
spirit  of  mere  anger  they  are  perverted. 

This  is  not  only  true  of  the  Bible,  but  it  is  the  true 
spirit  of  all  oratory.  The  orator  must  not  give  way  to 
denunciation  or  to  the  expression  of  his  own  personal 
feelings.  He  must  rise  to  something  higher.  He  must 
make  men  think  and  feel  for  themselves ;  he  must  lead 
men  to  reason  and  persuade  them  to  act  in  accordance 
with  their  own  convictions.  Men  are  only  truly  influ- 
enced by  awakening  their  higher  faculties. 

The  primary  spirit  of  all  art  is  to  evoke  or  draw  forth 
the  man  himself,  not  to  drive  something  into  him  from 
without.  A  mere  command  or  domination  of  another  by 
the  speaker's  will  is  not  oratory.  It  is  only  on  the  low- 


76  THE  MESSAGE 

est  plane  that  even  information  is  given.  The  higher 
the  purposes  of  the  orator,  the  more  does  the  speaker 
awaken  the  real  feeling  of  the  audience.  It  is  their 
judgment,  their  patriotism,  their  conviction  of  sin,  their 
realization  of  duty,  that  he  seeks  to  arouse. 

There  is  a  class  of  men  who  like  to  be  dominated. 
They  do  not  wish  to  think,  preferring  to  have  their 
thinking  done  for  them,  and  to  join  in  the  ranks  and 
march  whenever  they  find  a  military  leader.  Notice, 
for  example,  how  popular  were  the  Baptist's  denuncia- 
tions, as  compared  with  the  higher  spirit  of  Christ.  The 
men  of  that  day  seemed  to  respond  at  once  to  the  Bap- 
tist's fierceness.  He  was  the  kind  of  a  reformer  longed 
for  by  his  contemporaries. 

In  rendering  denunciatory  passages,  should  they  be 
given  with  the  dramatic  spirit,  with  the  intense  fierce- 
ness of  the  original  situation,  or  with  a  higher,  broader 
spirit  of  persuasion,  with  a  sense  of  awe  which  these 
words  should  produce  ?  Probably  the  latter,  on  account 
of  the  dignity  of  the  Scriptures,  and  the  inability  of 
hearers  at  the  present  day  to  realize  the  spirit  with 
which  the  prophets  spoke  their  denunciations.  Still  an- 
other reason  is  the  fact  that  all  true  oratory  forbids  the 
lower  passions,  and  must  accentuate  the  higher  emotions. 

Righteous  indignation  must  never  degenerate  into 
anger.  The  prophet  continually  shows  love  for  his 
country  and  profound  regret  at  the  sins  of  his  people. 
The  reader  must  continually  emphasize  the  sudden 
transitions  to  the  deepest  tenderness  in  references  to 
the  character  of  Jehovah  and  His  promises.  Nor  should 
he  overlook  the  deep  thrill  of  hope  for  triumph  in  the 
remote  future. 


THE   ORATORIC   SPIRIT  77 

The  highest  purpose  in  oratory  is  persuasion.  In- 
struction is  chiefly  intellectual;  the  rousing  of  men  is 
chiefly  passional;  but  persuasion  demands  a  spiritual 
awakening  and  a  realization  of  the  Divine.  It  is  an 
appeal  to  the  highest  faculties  of  the  human  soul. 

Whoever  would  faithfully  and  truly  interpret  the 
Scriptures,  must,  therefore,  make  a  conscientious  en- 
deavor to  render  such  passages  as  "  Comfort  ye,  com- 
fort ye,  my  people."  He  must  try  to  apprehend  the 
profound  tenderness,  the  spiritual  awakening,  in  such 
words  as,  "  He  will  feed  his  flock  like  a  shepherd,  and 
gather  the  lambs  in  his  arms,  and  gently  lead  the  ewe- 
mothers."  He  must  feel  the  point  of  view  of  the  orator 
as  he  makes  his  tender  appeal  to  memory  and  spirit- 
ual realization :  "  Hast  thou  not  known,  hast  thou  not 
heard  ?  The  everlasting  God,  Jehovah,  the  Creator  of 
the  ends  of  the  earth,  f ainteth  not,  neither  is  weary ; 
there  is  no  searching  of  his  understanding.  He  giveth 
power  to  the  faint."  (Is.  xl.) 

In  the  very  midst  of  what  seems  to  us  a  fearful  ar- 
raignment, like  that  found  in  Isaiah  i.,  we  have  such 
tender  words  as  these,  "  Come  now  and  let  us  reason 
together :  though  your  sins  be  as  scarlet,  they  shall  be 
white  as  snow."  And  how  often  do  the  speakers  of  the 
Old  Testament  turn  and  pour  out  their  grief  in  such 
words  as,  "  How  is  the  faithful  city  become  a  harlot !  " 

Readers  are  strongly  tempted  to  give  with  physical 
and  passional  denunciation,  "  Woe  to  them  that  go  down 
to  Egypt "  (Is.  xxxi.  i),  and  entirely  fail  to  render  the 
intensity  and  tenderness  a  few  verses  farther  on  (v.  5), 
"  As  birds  hovering  (over  their  young),  so  will  Jehovah 
of  hosts  protect  Jerusalem ;  he  will  protect  and  deliver 


78  THE  MESSAGE 

it."  It  is  the  latter  passages  which  are  more  difficult 
to  render,  but  which  are  necessary  to  give  the  actual 
spirit  of  the  message  of  the  prophets.  Any  man  can 
be  angry,  and  enter  into  sympathy  with  antagonism ; 
but  the  prophet's  heart  was  deeply  moved,  and  even  in 
his  wrath  against  sin  felt  it  as  a  calamity  to  himself. 
He  did  not  have  the  anger  or  antagonism  of  a  mere 
denunciatory  critic.  Possibly  there  was  less  transition 
from  this  terrible  antagonism  to  this  tender  persuasion 
than  we  are  likely  at  first  to  imagine. 

Some  of  the  sublimest  illustrations  of  the  spiritual 
element  in  oratory  are  found  in  the  book  of  Isaiah.  As 
an  example  of  this,  take  Isaiah's  denunciation  of  the 
sins  of  Jerusalem,  and  his  foretelling  of  its  final  destruc- 
tion by  the  Assyrians. 

In  Isaiah  v.,  his  introduction  shows  an  illustration  of 
the  method  adopted  by  all  misunderstood  speakers.  He 
opens  with  an  idyllic  song  or  story  of  a  vineyard,  and 
gradually  shows  its  application,  until  he  declares  with 
great  force  and  directness  that  "  the  vineyard  of  Jehovah 
is  the  House  of  Israel,"  and  with  emphatic  language  de- 
scribes what  Jehovah  had  naturally  expected  and  what 
He  had  found. 

Then  follow  various  "  Woes."  These  woes  were  pro- 
nounced upon  the  different  classes  of  Israel  who  had 
perverted  the  truth;  these  were  the  kinds  of  wild 
grapes. 

The  argument  and  special  character  of  this  can  be 
indicated  by  strong  emphasis  upon  the  words  which 
present  the  central  theme  at  issue.  The  woe  is  pro- 
nounced first  on  the  land-grabbers,  "Those  who 
join  house  to  house,  and  that  lay  field  to  field."  The 


THE   ORATORIC  SPIRIT  79 

second  woe  is  upon  those  who  " follow  strong  drink" 
(v.  1 1 ).  This  expression  should  be  strongly  emphatic, 
showing  that  this  is  another  class.  The  next  woe  is 
upon  those  "who  draw  iniquity,"  guilt,  or  punishment, 
with  a  cart-rope  (v.  18).  The  next  woe  is  upon  those 
who  "call  evil  good  and  good  evil"  (v.  20).  The 
fifth  woe  is  upon  the  egotists,  the  next  upon  the  takers 
of  bribes. 

At  verse  25,  the  prophet,  on  account  of  these  condi- 
tions, portrays  the  anger  of  Jehovah,  which  should  be 
emphatically  rendered.  Then  comes  a  stirring  refrain 
which  presents  a  picture  of  Jehovah  with  uplifted  arm 
ready  to  strike ;  and  after  each  calamity  which  Isaiah 
portrays,  possibly  in  the  immediate  past,  he  employs 
these  words,  "  For  all  this  His  anger  is  not  turned  away, 
and  His  hand  is  stretched  out  still."  On  account  of 
this  refrain  it  is  generally  understood  that  the  passage 
(ix.  8  to  x.  4)  belongs  to  the  same  oration. 

The  power  of  Isaiah,  especially  his  command  of  passion 
and  denunciation,  are  shown  in  v.  19,  and  also  in  ix.  10. 
Here  is  found  a  marvellous  picture  of  the  Assyrians  be- 
fore, and  the  Philistines  behind.  Rebellion  continues, 
and  there  is  no  return,  and  there  follows  another  fear- 
ful portrayal  of  calamity,  closing  with  the  same  refrain. 

What  all  these  calamities  refer  to  we  cannot  exactly 
know ;  but  the  summary  of  these  woes  (x.  1-4)  should  be 
made  strongly  emphatic.  Who  oppress  the  needy  and 
poor  ?  "  Those  who  make  widows  their  spoil  and  fathers 
their  prey."  Then  comes  the  great  refrain  and  the  sub- 
lime close  of  the  fifth  chapter,  verses  26-30.  He  lifts  up 
an  ensign,  and  signals  for  the  nations  to  advance,  and 
will  "hiss"  for  them  or  "whistle"  from  the  end  of  the 


8o  THE   MESSAGE 

earth.  That  is,  he  will  whistle  as  for  dogs  to  pursue 
the  prey.  "They  shall  come  speedily."  "They  shall 
roar  like  young  lions,  laying  hold  of  the  prey,  carrying 
it  away  safe  ;  there  shall  be  none  to  deliver."  This  is  a 
plain  intimation  of  the  great  calamity,  the  destruction  by 
the  Assyrians,  which  was  to  follow. 

By  remembering  that  there  were  always  in  Jerusalem 
an  Egyptian  party  and  an  Assyrian  party,  and  that  one 
grew  according  to  the  success  of  the  Egyptians,  and  the 
other  according  to  the  success  of  the  Assyrians,  we  can 
perceive  the  purpose  of  the  prophet,  which  was  that 
Judaea  should  not  ally  itself  with  either  party,  but  rely 
on  Jehovah  instead. 

Many  of  Isaiah's  most  important  orations  are  for  the 
independence  of  his  country,  that  there  should  be  no 
alliance  with  Egypt  on  the  one  hand  nor  with  Assyria 
on  the  other,  but  continued  reliance  upon  Jehovah.  The 
oration  or  series  of  orations  from  the  thirtieth  chapter  to 
the  thirty-third,  are  made  clear  by  realizing  the  histori- 
cal situation. 

At  the  death  of  any  Assyrian  king,  the  subjugated 
kingdoms  always  rose  in  revolt.  The  great  Sargon 
died  in  705.  All  rebelled,  and  Sennacherib  started  on 
his  career  of  conquest,  beginning  with  Babylon.  Dur- 
ing this  time,  the  Egyptian  party  in  Jerusalem  was  in 
the  ascendant,  and  sent  presents  to  Egypt.  Against  all 
this,  Isaiah  protests,  calling  Egypt  "  Rahab-sit-still "  and 
"  Boaster-do-nothing."  He  employs  the  figure  of  a 
bulging  wall  (xxx.  13)  which  will  suddenly  collapse,  to 
illustrate  the  penalty  of  those  who  trust  in  Egypt. 

In  the  oration  in  chapter  xxix.  Isaiah  uses  an  enigmatic 
word,  Ariel,  which  meant  either  the  lion  of  God,  or  the 


THE  ORATORIC   SPIRIT  8 1 

hearth  of  God,  and  vaguely  hints  at  coming  destruction, 
though  Sennacherib  is  yet  afar  off,  warring  against 
Babylon.  This  oration  seems  to  have  stirred  up  the 
politicians  to  turn  to  Egypt,  and  accordingly  we  have 
the  more  profound  and  sublime  oration  in  the  thirtieth 
chapter  where  he  represents  Jehovah  as  speaking,  "  Woe 
to  the  rebellious  children,  that  take  counsel  but  not  of 
me ;  that  make  a  league  but  not  of  my  spirit"  This  is 
to  be  made  strongly  emphatic  because  of  an  implied 
antithesis. 

Then  he  comes  out  plainly  with  the  words,  "  they  that 
go  down  into  Egypt  and  have  not  escaped  my  mouth." 
He  proclaims,  "  The  strength  of  Pharaoh  shall  be  our 
shame."  He  speaks  of  vipers  and  serpents,  possibly 
referring  to  the  peculiar  worship  of  the  Egyptians,  and 
closes  with  the  epithet,  "  Rahab-sit-still,"  which  possibly 
was  a  figure  of  the  treacherous  alligator  pretending  to 
be  asleep.  He  declares  that  "  only  in  returning  and 
rest  "  shall  they  be  saved.  But  with  sudden  transition 
he  cries  out,  "  Ye  would  not."  "  A  thousand  shall  flee 
at  the  rebuke  of  one,  at  the  rebuke  of  a  few  shall  ye 
flee."  "Ye  shall  be  left  as  peaks  on  a  mountain  top  or 
an  ensign  on  a  hill."  Then  with  infinite  tenderness  he 
proceeds,  "Jehovah  will  wait  that  He  may  be  gracious 
unto  you,  for  He  is  a  God  of  judgment ;  blessed  are  all 
they  that  wait  upon  Him."  Then  follows  a  passage  full 
of  tenderness  and  comfort. 

Isaiah  himself  was,  according  to  tradition,  sawed 
asunder  with  a  wooden  saw  in  the  reign  of  Manasseh. 
In  the  great  persecution,  his  words  were  torn  to  pieces, 
and  a  later  generation  gathered  together  these  fragments 
that  furnish  the  sublimest  oratory  of  the  Old  Testament. 


82  THE   MESSAGE 

The  noblest  illustrations  of  spiritual  persuasion  are  to 
be  found  in  the  words  of  the  Master.  We  feel  His  pres- 
ence as  a  living  speaker  standing  before  men  as  He  sud- 
denly turns  upon  them  with  the  sarcastic  words  (Luke 
xiii.  31-35),  "Go  tell  that  fox,  I  must  work  to-day  and  to- 
morrow." But  notice  the  infinite  tenderness  of  the 
words  that  follow,  "  O  Jerusalem,  thou  that  killest  the 
prophets  and  stonest  such  as  are  sent  unto  thee,  how 
often  would  I  have  gathered  thy  children  together,  as  a 
hen  gathers  her  own  brood  under  her  wings,  but  ye 
would  not." 

Persuasion  everywhere  pervades  the  words  of  the 
Master.  Even  his  denunciations  must  be  given  with 
infinite  regret. 

These  passages  are  short,  and  are  followed  by  that 
which  is  deep,  persuasive,  and  spiritual.  The  reader  of 
the  Scriptures  may  well  despair  of  giving  even  a  feeble 
echo  of  the  tenderness  that  is  in  the  words,  "  Come  unto 
me,  all  ye  that  are  weary  and  heavy  laden,  and  I  will 
give  you  rest." 


VIII.     THE  ALLEGORIC   SPIRIT 

ONE  of  the  most  difficult  of  all  questions  relates  to  the 
double  meaning  of  Scripture.  In  every  age  of  the  world, 
on  account  of  persecution,  misconception,  or  the  low  plane 
of  intelligence,  reformers  have  been  compelled  to  state 
simple  facts  so  as  to  mean  something  deeper.  "  Thou 
canst  not  know  now,  but  thou  shalt  know  hereafter,"  is 
the  statement  of  a  universal  fact.  "  We  see  only  what 
we  are."  The  sun  cannot  rise  at  midnight,  nor  can  a 
truth  be  received  before  men  are  prepared  to  receive  it. 
"  Pour  pure  water  into  a  muddy  well,  and  at  first  you  only 
disturb  the  mud."  When  Jesus  began  his  work,  there 
was  a  universal  feeling  that  the  Christ  was  to  come  and 
establish  a  literal  kingdom.  He  was  to  restore  the 
Throne  of  David  and  the  splendor  of  Solomon.  He  was 
to  glorify  the  Jews  only  to  make  them  the  rulers  of  the 
world.  To  lead  men  to  right  conceptions,  Jesus  spoke 
in  parables. 

Allied  to  this  double  meaning  is  what  may  be  called 
the  allegorical  spirit  of  the  Bible.  There  has  always 
been  a  peculiar  fascination  to  men  in  the  presentation 
of  abstract  truth  by  means  of  some  objective  symbol,  and 
this  is  true  not  only  of  myths  but  of  all  expression. 
An  idea  must  be  illustrated ;  it  must  be  put  in  an  objec- 
tive form. 

The  allegoric  spirit  plays  an  important  r61e  in  the 
early  history  of  all  literature.  It  would  be,  therefore, 

83 


84  THE   MESSAGE 

unnatural  not  to  expect  to  find  something  of  the  alle- 
gorical in  the  Old  Testament,  and  possibly  more  of  it  is 
there  than  has  yet  been  discovered.  How  far  the  book 
of  Hosea  is  simply  history,  and  how  far  the  prophet 
uses  symbols  —  his  so-called  wife  simply  standing  for 
the  chosen  people  —  is  a  matter  of  dispute. 

Note,  for  example,  the  close  of  the  book  of  Ecclesi- 
astes  (xii.  1-8).  "  The  keepers  of  the  house  "  are  the 
hands;  "The  strong  men"  are  the  legs;  "the  grind- 
ers "  are  the  teeth ;  "  those  that  look  out  of  the  window  " 
are  the  eyes ;  the  ears  are  "  the  doors  in  the  street " ; 
the  voice,  "  the  daughters  of  music  "  ;  the  white  hair  of 
the  head  is  "  the  almond  tree  " ;  and  some  have  gone  so 
far  as  to  identify  "the  silver  cord"  with  the  spinal  col- 
umn, "the  golden  bowl"  with  the  skull,  "the  pitcher, 
at  the  fountain  "  as  the  heart.  It  is  possibly  too  ingen- 
ious a  speculation  to  identify  these  literally,  but  it  is  in 
striking  accord  with  a  most  important  phase  of  human 
language,  especially  in  the  early  stages  of  literature. 

Possibly  the  most  specific  instance  of  the  failure  of 
the  Church  to  recognize  the  allegoric  spirit  of  the 
Bible  is  furnished  by  the  present  attitude  toward  the 
book  of  Jonah.  The  very  mention  of  Jonah  and 
the  whale  awakens  a  smile  if  not  a  spirit  of  antago- 
nism. Ministers  now  hardly  dare  to  read  the  book 
aloud.  But  when  we  look  at  it  as  poetry,  we  find 
it  one  of  the  marvellous  books  in  the  Old  Testament, 
conveying  a  deeper  lesson  than  almost  any  other  of  the 
shorter  prophecies.  Its  theme  is  such  that  the  author 
would  not  dare  to  state  it  directly ;  it  could  only  be  sug- 
gested in  the  form  of  fable.  Its  lesson  was  that  Jehovah 
was  the  God  of  the  whole  earth  and  not  the  local  Deity 
of  the  Hebrew  people. 


THE   ALLEGORIC   SPIRIT  85 

We  should  read  the  story  with  the  thought  in  mind 
that  Jonah  is  not  an  individual  but  a  representative  of 
Israel,  one  who  is  sent  to  proclaim  to  all  the  earth  God's 
love,  by  a  call  to  repentance ;  who  shrinks  from  the  real 
spiritual  function  to  which  he  was  chosen,  and  for  this 
reason  is  sent  into  exile ;  that  the  Great  Fish  that  swal- 
lowed him  was  Babylon.  The  sea  was  then  the  symbol 
of  the  heathen  world.  If  we  note  the  prayer  of  Jonah, 
we  shall  feel  the  burden  of  Israel  in  bondage.  Then 
the  Israelites  are  brought  back  from  exile,  and  a  second 
call  comes.  The  heathen  world,  typified  by  Nineveh,  is 
to  be  destroyed.  Israel  seats  herself  upon  her  own 
sacred  hill  to  enjoy  the  destruction,  and  becomes  angry 
when  Jehovah  grants  His  pardon.  A  fable  within  a 
fable  explains  the  spirit  of  the  book.  A  gourd  is  made 
to  spring  up  over  Jonah,  who  is  very  glad  of  its  shelter ; 
but  a  worm  destroys  the  gourd,  and  Jonah  is  wroth. 
Then  the  book  closes  with  the  real  message.  And 
Jehovah  says  to  Jonah,  "Thou  carest  for  a  gourd  that 
came  up  in  a  night  and  in  a  night  has  perished ;  then 
shall  I  not  care  for  Nineveh,  the  great  city  in  which 
there  are  more  than  twelve  times  ten-thousand  human 
beings,  who  know  not  their  right  hand  from  their  left, 
besides  much  cattle  ?  " 

There  are  other  poetic  interpretations,  but  this  of 
George  Adam  Smith  is  probably  the  soundest.  Who 
does  not  cry  out  with  him,  "  How  long,  O  Lord,  must 
Thy  poetry  suffer  from  those  who  can  only  treat  it  as 
prose  ?  On  whatever  side  they  stand,  sceptical  or  ortho- 
dox, they  are  equally  pedants,  quenchers  of  the  spiritual, 
creators  of  unbelief." 


IX.     THE  LYRIC  SPIRIT 

SIMPLE  as  the  lyric  spirit  appears,  yet  it  is  exceedingly 
difficult  to  define  it.  The  name,  derived  from  the  lyre, 
gives  little  suggestion ;  it  simply  testifies  to  the  fact  that 
songs  were  given  with  an  accompaniment  by  the  lyre. 
It  may  indicate,  however,  that  there  is  always  a  musical 
element  in  a  lyric;  that  is  to  say,  a  personal  or  sub- 
jective exaltation  and  intensity  of  feeling  combined  with 
rhythmic  expression. 

In  general,  a  lyric  implies  "  some  single  thought,  feel- 
ing, or  situation."  It  nearly  always  implies  brevity, 
some  rapidity  of  movement,  and  the  "  coloring  of  human 
passion."  In  common  with  all  other  forms,  lyric  poetry 
implies  intense  realization,  but  it  is  the  realization  of  a 
specific  situation,  and  is  usually  subjective,  passional, 
and  personal.  It  is  mainly  concerned  with  neither 
character  nor  description,  although  a  narrative  or  de- 
scriptive poem,  when  colored  by  intensity  of  personal 
feeling,  often  becomes  lyric  in  spirit. 

The  lyric  is  always  rhythmic,  but  moves  around  one 
central  theme  rather  than  in  a  sequence  of  events. 
This  concentration  of  the  lyric,  its  poetic  realization 
and  sustained  rhythm,  make  it  the  most  passional  of 
all  forms  of  literature.  It  reflects  the  deepest  and 
strongest  feeling  of  the  human  heart. 

The  lyric  possibly  had  its  origin  in  that  earliest  form 
of  art  or  play,  the  song  and  the  so-called  dance ;  that  is 

86 


THE  LYRIC   SPIRIT  87 

the  rhythmic,  pantomimic  action  of  the  body  united  with 
the  rhythmic  pulsation  of  song.  Sometimes  this  was 
performed  in  connection  with  musical  instruments. 
Miriam,  at  the  crossing  of  the  Red  Sea,  furnishes,  per- 
haps, an  illustration  or  an  allusion  to  such  a  custom,  and 
the  tambourine  of  the  street-singing  girl  is  supposed  to 
be  the  successor  of  Miriam's  instrument. 

There  is  always  in  a  lyric  a  certain  conciseness  of 
expression,  —  the  perception  of  a  depth  of  feeling  that 
cannot  be  expressed  in  words.  All  language  is  emo- 
tionalized and  exalted  into  poetry  by  human  feeling. 

It  is  for  this  reason  that  all  prayer  is  lyric.  Prayer 
cannot  be  didactic,  for  we  cannot  teach  God.  Prayer  is 
rarely  dramatic,  for  it  is  personal.  Of  all  devotional 
lyrics,  those  in  the  Bible  are  considered  the  most 
wonderful. 

"It  would  be  impossible,"  says  Watts-Dunton,  "to 
discuss  adequately  here  the  Hebrew  poets,  who  have 
produced  a  lyric  so  different  in  kind  from  all  other 
lyrics  as  to  stand  in  a  class  by  itself.  As  it  is  equal 
in  importance  to  the  great  drama  of  Shakespeare, 
^Eschylus,  and  Sophocles,  we  may  perhaps  be  allowed 
to  call  it  the  'Great  Lyric.'  The  Great  Lyric  must  be 
religious;  it  must,  it  would  seem,  be  an  outpouring  of 
the  soul,  not  towards  man  but  towards  God,  like  that  of 
the  God-intoxicated  prophets  and  psalmists  of  Scripture. 
Even  the  lyric  fire  of  Pindar  owes  much  to  the  fact  that 
he  had  a  childlike  belief  in  the  myths  to  which  so  many 
of  his  contemporaries  had  begun  to  give  a  languid 
assent.  But  there  is  nothing  in  Pindar,  or  indeed  else- 
where in  Greek  Poetry,  like  the  rapturous  song,  combin- 
ing unconscious  power  with  unconscious  grace,  which 


88  THE  MESSAGE 

we  have  called  the  Great  Lyric.  It  might  perhaps  be 
said,  indeed,  that  the  Great  Lyric  is  purely  Hebrew." 

Watts-Dunton  here  names  the  two  great  elements  of 
the  lyric,  unconsciousness  and  power.  This  depth  of 
feeling,  this  sublimity  and  vividness  of  ideas,  abruptness 
of  realization,  vigor  of  thought  and  word,  are  not  found 
in  other  forms  of  poetry. 

The  fire  of  the  Great  Lyric  must  be  adequately  real- 
ized and  expressed  by  the  reader  of  the  Bible. 

So  far  as  the  structure  of  a  song  is  concerned,  the 
reader  must  understand  its  peculiar  rhythm.  There  is 
no  metre  in  the  ordinary  acceptation  of  the  word ;  but 
there  is  a  rhythm  far  more  profound.  The  so-called 
parallelisms  first  discovered  by  Robert  Lowth  have 
hardly  yet  received  adequate  attention.  The  parallel- 
isms enumerated  by  some  of  the  best  authorities  are 
inadequate.  These  are  usually  given  as  synonymous, 
antithetic,  synthetic,  and  climactic.  That  these  lists  do 
not  cover  the  entire  number  of  parallelisms  is  shown  by 
the  fact  that  sometimes  the  thought  is  synonymous, 
while  the  feeling  is  in  contrast.  In  fact  there  is  always 
a  subtle  contrast  in  feeling,  if  not  in  thought.  Again, 
the  same  thought  is  sometimes  presented  from  a  dif- 
ferent point  of  view.  Few  realize  that  parallelism  is 
primarily  a  form  of  rhythm.  Metre  is  a  rhythm  of 
syllables,  parallelism  is  primarily  a  rhythm  of  clauses, 
sentences,  or  lines,  of  thoughts,  situations,  or  emotions. 
Metre  is  a  mechanical  or  artificial  expression  of  rhythm, 
but  parallelism  is  more  natural.  The  metre  may  be 
given  mechanically  and  as  a  kind  of  sing-song,  which 
merely  charms  the  ear.  The  rhythm  of  the  Psalms 
can  be  indicated  only  when  the  thought  and  feeling 
are  fully  understood. 


THE   LYRIC   SPIRIT  89 

The  rhythm  of  clauses  in  the  Psalms  is  very  close  to 
the  rhythm  of  silence  and  speech  in  vocal  expression. 
"  Rhythm  is  symmetry  in  time  as  proportion  is  symmetry 
in  space."  If  art  is  "play  reduced  to  the  principle  of 
order,"  rhythm  is  the  first  reduction  to  order  that  we 
find  anywhere.  In  rhythm  we  become  conscious  of 
time.  It  sustains  force,  and  brings  it  into  an  orderly 
sequence.  The  parallelisms  of  the  Psalms  must  be 
given,  therefore,  with  the  rhythmic  alternations  of 
intense  attention  and  feeling.- 

All  metre,  including  the  parallelisms  of  the  Psalms, 
can  be  interpreted  and  its  meaning  revealed  only  by 
vocal  expression.  Ordinarily,  critical  analysis  will  find 
little  progression  in  these  clauses  (Ps.  cxxxix.  5):  — 

"  Thou  hast  beset  me  behind  and  before, 
And  laid  thine  hand  upon  me." 

In  the  first  line  Jehovah  is  pictured  as  an  advance  and 
rear  guard,  but  in  the  next  line  there  is  an  expression  of 
His  protecting  care,  and  a  more  personal  feeling  of  His 
presence.  In  reading  them,  the  second  line  should 
receive  increase  in  tenderness,  change  of  pitch  and 
coloring.  "  Behind  and  before  "  gives  a  sense  of  secu- 
rity, but  the  laying  on  of  the  hand  is  an  expression  of 
tender  regard.  The  thought,  the  critics  will  tell  us,  is 
the  same ;  but  here  we  find  a  change  in  feeling,  in  the 
attitude  of  the  mind,  a  contrast  in  emotion  at  least, 
which  brings  a  distinctness  of  coloring  to  the  last 
clause.  There  is  more  here  than  a  mere  repetition  or 
even  completion  of  thought. 

The  vocal  expression  of  the  Psalms  requires  a  special 
accentuation  of  the  rhythm  of  thinking  and  feeling. 


90  THE  MESSAGE 

A  reader  should  accentuate  the  concentration  upon  the 
first  idea,  contemplate  a  moment  in  silence,  and  then 
give  the  word  or  phrase  with  a  decision  of  touch  that 
will  justify  the  period  of  silence.  The  passing  from 
idea  to  idea  must  be  more  regular,  the  changes  of  pitch 
also  marked  by  regular  steps,  the  inflections  should  be 
long  and  gradual,  and  the  coloring  of  the  voice  as  sym- 
pathetic as  possible.  Transitions  in  movement  are 
frequent,  and,  as  a  rule,  to  be  most  effectively  presented, 
the  Psalms  should  be  read  more  slowly  than  any  other 
part  of  the  Scriptures. 

In  reading  a  lyric  passage  in  the  midst  of  prose  a 
decided  contrast  should  indicate  the  passage  from  the 
narrative  to  the  lyric  spirit.  The  parallelism  or  poetic 
structure  and  the  increase  and  regularity  of  the  rhythm 
should  be  strongly  marked.  In  the  account  of  Miriam's 
song  (Ex.  xv.  1-19)  the  first  half  of  the  first  verse  is 
prose.  At  the  nineteenth  verse  we  return  to  prose. 
There  should  be  marked  difference  in  the  movement 
and  form  at  these  points. 

Nowhere  should  greater  variety  in  the  combinations 
of  rhythm  and  melody  be  observed  than  in  the  reading 
of  the  Bible.  Rhythm  and  melody  are  always  present, 
but  we  have  occasionally  an  accentuation  of  melody  in 
direct  contrast  to  an  accentuation  of  rhythm.  As  an 
illustration,  in  the  above  passage  we  have  a  prose  descrip- 
tion of  Miriam  with  her  timbrel  leading  the  dance  of  the 
women ;  but  in  verse  22,  we  come  to  Miriam's  responsive 
song  which  is  essentially  lyric.  In  this  we  feel  the 
very  steps  of  the  dance  of  joy  and  exultation. 

There  are  several  difficulties  involved  in  the  proper 
rendering  of  a  Biblical  lyric.  One  of  these  is  the  sudden 


THE   LYRIC   SPIRIT  91 

transition,  sometimes  to  be  noticed  in  the  very  midst  of 
a  sentence,  from  talking  about  God  to  speaking  to  God. 
This,  to  some  at  least,  seems  a  change  from  the  lyric  to 
the  dramatic,  but  is  perfectly  natural  and  purely  lyric. 
As  the  soul  has  an  exalted  realization  of  the  presence 
of  the  divine,  it  passes  naturally  from  reflection  upon 
His  attributes  and  characteristics  to  speech  with  Him, 
from  an  exalted  realization  of  His  personal  presence  to 
direct  communion  with  Him.  In  common  with  all 
devotional  literature  the  Psalms  make  little  distinction 
between  talking  to  the  deeper  self  and  to  God ;  at  least  a 
devout  soul  makes  the  transition  easily  and  naturally. 

The  best  method  of  rendering  such  transitions  is  by  a 
simple  increase  of  intensity,  a  change  of  coloring  or 
key. 

Another  difficulty  is  the  seemingly  crude  and  unchris- 
tian character  of  some  of  the  emotions.  In  some  of  the 
sublimest  of  these  compositions,  even  in  talking  to  God, 
the  psalmist  takes  credit  to  himself  for  hatred  of  enemies. 
Should  not  such  verses  be  omitted  in  public  reading  ? 
Where  they  cannot  be  omitted,  there  should  certainly 
be  some  idealization,  some  softening  of  the  asperity. 
Possibly  these  expressions  are  not  always  understood  by 
us.  The  crude  fierceness  of  the  words  reflects  not  only 
the  spirit  of  the  times  but  possibly  also  the  imperfection 
of  human  language.  But  though  anger  may  seem  to 
be  imputed  to  Jehovah  in  the  words,  there  must  be  no 
anger  ascribed  to  Deity  in  vocal  expression.  The  reader 
must  often  regard  the  warning  of  Jehovah  through  the 
psalmist,  "  Thou  thoughtest  that  I  was  altogether  such 
a  one  as  thyself."  Only  through  our  higher  self  do  we 
approach  Him. 


92  THE   MESSAGE 

One  of  the  dangers  needing  special  attention  in  read- 
ing lyric  poetry  is  monotony.  Each  specific  idea  must 
be  accentuated.  The  changes  and  contrasts  in  feeling 
and  in  the  rhythmic  progression  of  the  passion  are  far 
more  numerous  and  more  intense  than  most  readers 
realize.  Unless  the  direct  shades  of  contrast  in  the 
attitude  of  the  mind  and  in  the  situation  are  appreciated, 
the  rhythmic  parallelism  will  be  lost,  and  the  vocal 
interpretation  of  the  Psalms  will  be  mechanical  and 
monotonous. 


X.     THE   DRAMATIC   SPIRIT 

THE  term  "  dramatic  "  awakens  a  great  variety  of  con- 
ceptions in  different  minds.  To  some  persons  it  implies 
a  formal  composition  presented  with  scenery  and  by 
actors,  directly  impersonating  the  various  characters. 
To  others,  whatever  is  imitative  or  representative  is 
dramatic.  To  still  others,  the  dramatic  refers  to  the 
presentation  of  a  character  or  event  rather  than  to  de- 
scription ;  and  whenever  a  character  really  moves,  and 
speaks  for  itself,  or  when  no  third  person  analyzes, 
makes  remarks,  or  describes  or  explains  motives,  they 
perceive  the  dramatic.  By  such  persons  the  word  is 
frequently  used  in  the  sense  of  animated.  Some  one 
has  said  that  Thucydides  was  a  dramatic  historian  be- 
cause he  could  place  events  in  such  immediate  juxta- 
position that  they  interpreted  themselves  without  any 
explanation  or  moralizing. 

A  leading  judge  once  observed  that  the  secret  of  all 
success  is  dramatic  instinct.  A  teacher  must  have  the 
power  to  see  the  subject  from  the  point  of  view  of  the 
student,  or  he  cannot  teach.  A  lawyer  must  have  in- 
sight into  the  motives  of  men.  The  preacher  must  com- 
prehend the  nature  of  human  experience  and  character, 
or  his  work  will  be  a  failure.  "  If  I  were  wealthy,"  he 
continued,  "  I  would  endow  a  chair  in  every  college  for 
the  development  of  the  dramatic  instinct."  To  this 
judge  the  word  "  dramatic  "  evidently  implied  insight  into 

93 


94  THE  MESSAGE 

character,  or  power  to  penetrate  to  the  motive  springs 
of  conduct. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  this  broad  interpretation  of  the 
word  is  the  true  one.  Anything  is  dramatic  which  has 
relation  to  human  character.  Whenever  there  is  action 
or  movement,  when  a  character  of  one  type  meets  a 
character  of  another  type  in  such  a  way  as  to  reveal  the 
peculiarities  of  both,  the  result  is  a  dramatic  situation. 
But  more  than  this,  whenever  an  idea  is  put  in  such  a 
way  that  men  feel  the  man  behind  it,  whenever  a  scene 
is  so  portrayed  that  it  becomes  a  living  expression  of 
human  experience,  in  short,  whatever  suggests  the  em- 
bodiment of  character  is  dramatic. 

Some  years  ago,  a  symposium  on  the  dramatic  instinct 
was  published  in  the  North  American  Review.  The 
leading  actors  of  the  world  practically  agreed  that  the 
two  elements  in  dramatic  instinct  were  imagination  and 
sympathy,  —  imagination  giving  insight  into  character, 
and  sympathy  the  power  of  identification. 

Prose  is  a  mere  statement  of  fact ;  history  is  a  record 
of  what  has  been  said  or  done;  but  dramatic  poetry 
reveals  what  a  given  character  would  say  under  such 
and  such  circumstances.  That  which  a  situation  must 
necessarily  call  forth,  or  the  impression  a  given  event 
ought  to  make  upon  the  soul,  is  the  chief  field  of  dra- 
matic poetry. 

If  the  word  "  dramatic  "  is  to  be  defined  as  a  formal 
representation  of  character,  there  is  little  of  this  in  the 
Bible.  The  Hebrew  was  intensely  subjective  and  per- 
sonal. He  had  none  of  the  power  of  the  Greek  to  "other" 
himself,  to  feel  as  others  feel,  to  identify  himself  with 
various  points  of  view  or  consciously  to  create  the  man- 


THE  DRAMATIC   SPIRIT  95 

ner  of  speech  peculiar  to  one  wholly  different  from  him- 
self. Hence  Hebrew  literature  centres  in  the  lyric  and 
the  oratoric. 

The  Song  of  Solomon,  however,  can  be  understood 
only  as  a  dramatic  composition.  The  book  of  Job  is  a 
dramatic  poem.  For  the  stage,  we  have  a  hill  outside 
the  city ;  for  scenery,  a  rising  storm,  the  flashing  light- 
ning, the  rolling  thunder,  and  a  rainbow;  for  characters, 
Job  and  his  friends,  Satan,  and  even  God ;  and  for  a 
theme,  the  mystery  of  human  suffering,  the  same  found 
in  the  "Prometheus  Unbound  "  of  ^Eschylus,  and  Ham- 
let's "To  be  or  not  to  be,"  the  problem  of  all  problems, 
the  mystery  of  human  existence. 

The  Bible  has  many  dramatic  dialogues.  The  book 
of  Micah,  for  example,  has  been  considered  by  some  as  a 
mere  mass  of  fragments ;  but  it  is  very  suggestive  that 
recent  writers  regard  the  book  as  a  unit.  This  is  no 
doubt  because  it  has  been  discovered  that  the  book 
is  dramatic.  Micah  is  often  the  speaker ;  then  it  is 
the  nation  or  Jerusalem,  the  mountains  or  Jehovah,  that 
is  impersonated.  The  prophet's  imagination  was  so 
awake  that  everything  lived  and  directly  spoke  his 
truth. 

Again,  the  attitude  of  the  mind  is  sometimes  so  defi- 
nitely accentuated,  that  the  change  from  one  emotion  to 
another  is  almost  like  a  dialogue.  For  example,  in 
Hosea  xi.,  Jehovah  speaks  and  expresses  his  tenderness 
toward  Israel.  "  I  took  them  on  my  arms,  but  they 
knew  not  that  I  healed  them.  I  drew  them  with  the 
cords  of  a  man,  with  bands  of  love."  Then  suddenly 
the  attitude  changes  into  regret  or  indignation  at  their 
ingratitude  in  forgetting  Jehovah.  "  My  people  are 


96  THE   MESSAGE 

bent  on  backsliding."  Soon  the  tenderness  returns. 
"  How  shall  I  give  thee  up,  Ephraim  ;  my  heart  is  turned 
within  me,  my  compassions  are  kindled  together."  His 
children  "  shall  come  trembling  as  a  bird  out  of  Egypt, 
and  as  a  dove  out  of  the  land  of  Assyria." 

This  contrast  in  attitude  leads  almost  insensibly  into 
a  kind  of  formal  dialogue  between  Jehovah,  the  prophet, 
and  the  people.  Though  in  a  primitive  literature  there 
is  no  indication  of  the  name  of  the  speaker,  we  must 
infer  the  dramatic  spirit  from  the  nature  and  feeling  of 
the  speech,  and  only  by  the  dramatic  spirit  can  the 
meaning  be  made  clear. 

Dramatic  conceptions  are  found  all  through  the  proph- 
ets. In  fact,  the  whole  Bible  is  in  a  sense  dramatic. 
All  its  stories  are  simple  and  concise.  Wherever  we 
have  simplicity  and  vigor,  the  dramatic  is  found.  It  is 
the  dramatic  character  of  the  stories  that  makes  them 
so  popular.  There  are  no  involved  reflections  and 
moralizings,  no  long-drawn-out  condemnations  of  the 
conduct  of  men,  no  preaching  over  events,  or  detailed 
descriptions.  The  characters  live  before  us.  Incidents 
are  told  with  childlike  simplicity,  and  are  left  to  be  real- 
ized by  the  soul  itself.  The  Gospels  are  dramatic.  We 
feel  acquainted  with  the  various  characters  portrayed 
in  every  scene.  The  disciples  appear  in  all  their  weak- 
ness. We  see  the  look  of  the  Master,  the  remorse  of 
Peter,  the  ambition  of  the  sons  of  Zebedee,  the  bigotry 
and  narrowness  of  the  scribes  and  Pharisees. 

The  parables  are  dramatic,  the  situations  are  human, 
the  accounts  short  and  pointed,  the  disposition  and 
motives  of  the  human  heart  are  laid  bare. 

This  is  not  the  place  to  enter  into  a  discussion  of  the 


THE   DRAMATIC   SPIRIT  97 

infinite  number  of  illustrations  of  the  dramatic  found 
in  the  different  books.  The  Bible  student  must  go  for 
these  to  his  Commentaries.  All  that  can  be  under- 
taken here  is  to  give  illustrations  of  the  mode  of 
action  which  characterizes  dramatic  instinct. 

The  true  way  to  realize  and  discriminate  the  real 
spirit  which  animates  the  more  difficult  passages  of 
the  Bible  is  found  in  vocal  expression.  Nowhere  does 
the  spirit  of  the  Bible  so  genuinely  reveal  itself  as  in  the 
study  of  the  dramatic  instinct;  and  dramatic  instinct  can- 
not be  studied  theoretically,  it  must  be  studied  practi- 
cally. The  dramatic  idea  implies  action,  expression. 

The  dramatic  instinct,  as  has  been  said,  is  primarily 
dependent  on  imagination  and  sympathy.  In  giving 
the  words  of  another,  the  tendency  is  to  make  a  quota- 
tion direct,  and  still  further  to  give  the  words  exactly  as 
they  were  spoken.  The  dramatic  instinct  of  the  human 
heart  creates  characters  and  situations  and  reveals  them 
simply  and  naturally. 

Thus  in  reading  the  account  of  the  visit  of  Christ  to 
Simon,  the  Pharisee,  if  the  reader's  imagination  and 
sympathy  are  awake,  he  becomes  a  living  spectator  of 
the  scene.  He  beholds  Simon  as  he  "spake  within 
himself  " ;  he  sees  the  sneering  look  which  plainly  said, 
"  This  man  if  he  were  a  prophet  would  have  perceived 
who  and  what  manner  of  woman  this  is  that  toucheth 
him,"  and  the  reader  will  be  tempted  to  suggest  Simon's 
contemptuous  sneer.  Then  he  will  feel  the  dignified 
simplicity  of  the  Master  and  give  his  words  slowly 
and  with  decided  touch,  in  contrast  to  Simon's  manner. 
Without  a  proper  conception  of  the  character  of  Simon, 
the  key  to  the  situation  is  lost. 


98  THE  MESSAGE 

In  Mark  x.  17-22  we  experience  simply  a  general 
interest  in  the  young  man,  and  the  words  of  Christ. 
But  in  the  clause,  "  Jesus  looking  upon  him  loved  him," 
we  enter  into  fuller  sympathy  with  the  Master,  and  a 
tenderness  is  awakened  in  our  hearts.  This  is  not  to 
impersonate,  even  though  the  Master's  direct  words  may 
be  given.  To  represent  regret  at  his  going  away  is 
to  be  simply  ourselves. 

In  giving  the  words  of  the  two  malefactors  (Luke 
xxiii.  39-43)  the  reference  to  the  first  one  is  negative, 
for  our  real  sympathy  is  with  Christ ;  but  when  the 
other  malefactor  rebukes  the  first  our  sympathy  for  him 
is  awakened,  and  the  quotations  and  descriptions  are 
given  directly  and  with  great  intensity  of  feeling. 

Thus,  even  in  impersonation,  there  is  a  great  difference 
in  the  degree  of  sympathy.  Dramatic  sympathy  may 
be  directly  antithetic  to  true  sympathy.  The  mockery 
of  farce,  burlesque,  or  caricature  is  often  the  result  of 
antipathy. 

There  is,  therefore,  something  more  important  here 
than  impersonation ;  namely,  the  point  of  view  or  the 
real  genuine  sympathy  of  the  reader.  This  shows  itself 
more  profoundly  even  in  explanatory  clauses.  In  the 
account  of  the  two  thieves,  there  is  a  pause  and  a 
marked  change  at  the  words,  "  but  the  other  answered 
and  rebuked  him."  The  tones  of  the  voice  show  sym- 
pathy with  his  act. 

In  the  account  of  the  supper  at  Emmaus  (Luke  xxiv. 
31-32),  at  the  words  "and  they  knew  him"  we  neces- 
sarily show  joy  with  them  before  there  is  any  direct 
impersonation. 

Such  explanatory  clauses  are  often  more  sympathetic 


THE   DRAMATIC   SPIRIT  99 

and  dramatic  than  quoted  words.  Although  Peter 
declares,  "  Lord,  I  am  ready  to  go  with  thee  both  to 
prison  and  to  death,"  deep  down  in  our  hearts  we  doubt 
his  confidence  and  the  fulfilment  of  his  promise.  So 
we  give  his  words  dramatically.  Genuine  sympathy  is 
not  shown  in  this  direct  quotation ;  but  at  the  later 
words,  "  Peter  remembered,  and  he  went  out  and  wept 
bitterly,"  our  real  sympathy  finds  expression. 

Often  sympathetic  identification  with  others  shows 
itself  before  the  direct  quotation.  When  Christ  seeing 
the  young  man  go  away  on  account  of  his  great  wealth, 
said,  "  It  is  easier  for  a  camel  to  go  through  a  needle's 
eye  than  for  a  rich  man  to  enter  the  Kingdom  of 
Heaven,"  the  disciples  were  amazed,  and  we  cannot 
help  sharing  their  astonishment.  "  They  were  aston- 
ished exceedingly  "  is  spoken  with  as  much  feeling  as 
the  direct  quotation,  "  Who  then  can  be  saved  ? "  In 
fact,  all  direct  quotations  must  be  justified  by  the 
dramatic  or  epic  spirit  of  such  explanatory  clauses. 

From  all  this  it  will  be  seen  that  there  are  two  mani- 
festations of  the  dramatic  spirit :  the  direct,  which  shows 
itself  in  impersonation,  and  the  indirect,  which  concerns 
descriptions  or  impressions  of  events  or  actions.  And 
to  the  reader  of  the  Bible  the  indirect  is  of  greater  im- 
portance than  the  direct.  In  fact,  too  frequent  use  of 
the  impersonating  or  direct  dramatic  spirit  will  degrade 
the  dignity  and  importance  of  the  Bible.  Such  degrada- 
tion has  been  often  noted.  People  have  been  heard  to 
remark  that  the  reading  was  too  dramatic.  That  is  to 
say,  there  was  an  exaggeration  of  the  direct  dramatic, 
while  the  indirect  dramatic  was  ignored. 

Public  readers  as  well  as  readers  of  the  Bible  often 


100  THE   MESSAGE 

slight  descriptive,  narrative,  or  lyric  passages.  The 
indirect  dramatic  receives  from  them  no  attention  what- 
ever. Their  whole  energy  is  reserved  for  direct  quota- 
tions. But  it  cannot  be  too  often  impressed  upon 
readers  of  the  Bible  that  on  account  of  the  number  of 
suggestive  descriptions  of  events  or  of  the  indirect  dra- 
matic the  primary  spirit  of  the  Scriptures  is  epic,  and 
their  dignity  demands  attention  to  this  in  the  simplest 
explanatory  clauses. 

In  a  previous  work  on  Imagination  and  Dramatic 
Instinct,  this  has  been  discussed  under  the  words  "  Per- 
sonation and  Participation."  It  makes  little  difference 
what  name  is  used.  The  dramatic  spirit  of  descriptive 
clauses,  the  indirect  dramatic  or  dramatic  participation, 
can  be  regarded  as  epic ;  while  only  the  direct  dramatic 
may  be  regarded  as  dramatic.  The  two  run  together  in 
such  a  way,  however,  that  men  often  give  to  both  the 
term  "dramatic  instinct." 

Indirect  dramatic,  or  dramatic  participation,  is  never 
imitative.  Imitation  in  the  direct  dramatic  applies  only 
to  burlesque,  farce,  and  the  lowest  form  of  dramatic  art. 
Men  imitate  in  caricature.  There  is  less  imitation  in 
tragedy  than  in  comedy.  We  identify  ourselves  in 
spirit  with  Hamlet  himself  more  than  with  the  way  he 
may  do  this  or  that.  The  higher  the  dramatic  art  or 
the  more  intensely  dramatic  a  passage  is,  the  more 
there  is  of  sympathy  and  the  less  of  imitation.  The 
primary  spirit  of  dramatic  instinct  is  not  imitation.  It 
is  assimilation  and  sympathetic  identification. 

In  general,  the  spirit  of  a  passage  will  lead  inevitably 
to  the  proper  emotion.  For  example,  we  can  hardly 
fail  to  suggest  our  feeling,  when  after  the  arrest  of 


THE   DRAMATIC   SPIRIT.  IOi 

Christ  we  read  the  words,  "  his  disciples  forsook  him." 
The  most  artificial  reader  could  not  fail  here  to  give 
the  words  the  right  feeling.  The  epic  spirit  and 
dignity  of  the  whole  picture  would  make  the  emotion 
genuine. 

But  there  are  many  places  where  there  is  doubt,  and 
one  of  the  most  important  functions  of  the  dramatic 
instinct  is  to  affirm  in  such  cases  the  right  point  of  view. 
For  example,  in  the  story  of  Elijah,  note  the  emotions 
we  may  express  when  we  read  the  words,  "  But  there  was 
no  voice  nor  any  that  regarded."  Shall  we  give  these 
words  in  sympathy  with  Elijah  and  rejoice  at  the  fact? 
Shall  we  give  them  in  sympathy  with  the  prophets 
and  express  their  despair  ?  Or  shall  we  give  them 
from  the  point  of  view  of  the  modern  who  looks  upon 
the  prophets  of  Baal  with  sorrowful  regret,  as  de- 
luded and  misguided  men  ?  Such  questions  must  be 
decided  by  the  reader  on  the  basis  of  the  broadest 
interpretation. 

We  cannot  impersonate  except  on  the  human  plane. 
We  cannot  impersonate  God.  Whenever  we  speak  His 
words  we  manifest  the  emotion  awakened  in  our  hearts 
in  response  to  what  we  hear.  The  human  soul  is  com- 
plex, —  we  have  a  kind  of  dual  consciousness,  and  part 
of  us  may  be  impressed  while  another  part  is  thinking, 
saying,  or  doing.  In  some  way,  as  we  repeat  the  words 
which  are  spoken  by  another,  we  can  convey  our  impres- 
sions of  these  words.  Some  persons  hardly  see  how 
we  can  be  both  speaker  and  hearer,  actor  and  spectator, 
but  such  is  the  case.  In  Coleridge's  "  Mont  Blanc  "  he 
represents  the  mountain  streams,  the  pine  groves,  and 
the  avalanches  as  answering,  "  God."  If  the  reader 


102  THE  MESSAGE 

endeavors  to  impersonate  the  avalanche,  the  result  will 
be  weak.  Our  voices  cannot  represent  "the  perilous 
fall."  But  if  the  reader  uses  his  imagination  he  can 
manifest,  when  speaking  this  word,  the  impression  pro- 
duced upon  him. 

In  undignified  moments  we  impersonate, — for  example, 
Elijah,  when  he  mocks  the  priests  of  Baal.  But  even 
in  this  case  there  is  danger  of  going  too  far,  and  degrad- 
ing the  Scriptures.  It  is  best  to  be  suggestive  in  all 
impersonation,  and  especially  to  offset  it  by  more  digni- 
fied and  sublime  art  in  manifesting  the  impression  pro- 
duced upon  us. 

The  proper  dramatic  interpretation  of  the  Bible, 
therefore,  requires  an  imaginative  realization  of  situa- 
tions, events,  and  actions,  as  well  as  characters,  a  sug- 
gestive manifestation  of  the  emotion  awakened. 

Dramatic  art  is  more  potent  for  evil  or  for  good  than 
any  other  form  of  art  known  to  man.  It  expresses  a 
primary  instinct,  the  sympathetic  identification  of  one 
soul  with  another.  All  true  growth  and  progress  are 
founded  upon  man's  altruistic  intuition.  The  soul  must 
orient  and  "other"  itself  or  it  cannot  grow.  The 
dramatic  interests  men  because  it  is  on  the  plane  of 
sympathy.  Men  love  their  fellow-men  and  delight  in 
action  more  than  anything  else,  and  dramatic  art  is  the 
direct  portrayal  of  life.  The  dramatic  causes  all  to  live 
and  move,  and  leaves  every  man  to  judge  and  moralize 
for  himself.  Dramatic  instinct  is  the  most  important 
requisite  in  all  public  speaking,  and  all  vocal  interpre- 
tation. It  makes  everything  a  living  reality.  There  is 
no  time  but  present  time.  Man  has  only  now.  By  the 
dramatic  instinct  he  can  see  men  as  living  beings  in 


THE   DRAMATIC   SPIRIT  103 

the  midst  of  living  situations,  see  abstract  ideas  and 
thought  embodied  in  human  beings.  He  can  feel  the 
motives  that  govern  the  human  soul  and  the  signifi- 
cance of  the  ideas  and  events  in  relation  to  human 
character. 


XL     THE   EPIC   SPIRIT 

THE  highest  form  of  poetry  is  usually  considered  to 
be  the  epic.  Tragedy  is  the  only  form  of  human  art 
which  has  been  seriously  regarded  as  rising  to  its 
level. 

The  epic  cannot  be  explained  by  a  phrase.  To  say 
that  the  dramatic  deals  with  "  representation  "  and  the 
epic  with  "  description  "  while  containing  a  truth  is  a 
hindrance,  not  a  help,  to  the  appreciation  of  the  high- 
est element  in  literature. 

The  epic,  in  a  sense,  includes  the  dramatic ;  for  the 
epic  is  also  concerned  with  human  character,  espe- 
cially in  its  relation  to  man's  beliefs,  ideals,  and  heroic 
endeavor.  The  epic  has  no  artificial  form  for  stage 
representation,  as  may  be  the  case  with  the  dramatic. 
But  this  peculiarity  means  little  and  gives  no  help  to  the 
real  distinction  between  the  dramatic  and  the  epic. 

All  poetry  is  a  revelation  of  the  impressions  produced 
upon  the  human  soul.  When  a  man  manifests  his 
intense  personal  realizations,  he  uses  the  lyric.  When 
he  represents  impressions  produced  upon  another  soul, 
when  he  identifies  himself  with  another's  point  of  view, 
or  when  he  shows  the  effect  of  events  in  revealing  the 
motives  and  character  of  others,  the  dramatic  spirit  is 
found.  In  the  epic  man  compares  his  own  impressions 
with  the  ideals  of  the  race,  and  expresses  a  racial  judg- 
ment. The  impressions  produced  upon  the  individual's 

104 


THE   EPIC   SPIRIT  105 

imagination  and  sympathy  are  not  only  true  to  his 
character  but  to  the  ideals  of  humanity.  In  dramatic 
art  the  reader  represents  another  individual;  in  the 
epic,  he  represents  his  race. 

The  epic  spirit  expresses  impressions  which  dramatic 
art  can  hardly  touch.  How  useless  the  endeavor  to 
impersonate  God  !  What  a  shock  a  reader  once  caused 
by  saying  "  Samuel,  Samuel !  "  as  a  farmer  would  awaken 
a  boy  in  the  morning !  The  dramatic  may  impersonate 
only  on  the  plane  of  the  personal  and  the  human,  but 
there  is  no  plane  beyond  the  possibilities  of  interpreta- 
tion by  the  epic  spirit.  The  epic  instinct  can  quote  the 
words  of  Jehovah  and  suggest  His  greatness  by  reveal- 
ing the  impression  made  upon  the  speaker's  own  soul 
while  sustaining  the  utmost  (dignity. 

The  epic  is  the  climax  of  all  literature,  and  includes 
all  below  it.  According  to  Aristotle,  the  test  of  great- 
ness "is  a  higher  truth  and  a  higher  seriousness." 
These  especially  characterize  the  epic. 

There  are  various  degrees  of  the  dramatic.  In  bur- 
lesque, the  actor  mocks  that  with  which  he  identifies 
himself.  In  farce,  he  is  caricaturing  it.  Farce  may  show 
greater  sympathy  or  good  nature  than  burlesque,  yet 
the  actor  still  laughs  at  rather  than  with  men.  He  is 
exaggerating.  He  is  concerned,  besides,  rather  with 
situations  than  with  character.  In  comedy,  the  actor 
laughs  with  his  fellow-men ;  in  tragedy  he  weeps  with 
them.  Tragedy  is  the  highest  form  of  the  dramatic, 
because  it  calls  for  a  higher  seriousness,  expresses  a 
deeper  sympathy  with  suffering,  and  a  higher  truth  of 
the  human  soul.  In  all  this  there  is  a  gradation  of  ex- 
perience. The  rank  rises  on  account  of  the  degree  of 


106  THE   MESSAGE 

sympathy.  In  fact,  burlesque  and  farce  are  sometimes 
regarded  as  illegitimate,  because  they  imply  no  real 
sympathetic  identification  of  one  soul  with  another,  and 
hence  are  hardly  to  be  called  dramatic. 

But  the  epic  is  higher  still.  It  rises  out  of  the  mere 
personal  point  of  view.  Its  sympathies  are  broader, 
and  belong  to  the  whole  race.  The  soul  rises  to  higher 
truth,  and  stands  in  sympathetic  contemplation  of  human 
deeds  and  endeavors,  or  the  great  significance  of  events. 
It  speaks  human  words  truthfully  and  adequately,  but 
not  imitatively.  The  epic  spirit  reflects  and  mirrors  the 
truth  even  of  human  character,  but  at  the  same  time 
measures  it  with  the  highest  ideals  of  the  race.  The 
epic  spirit  can  deal  with  events  both  human  and  divine, 
and  can  fulfil  the  most  exalted  poetry,  in  that  it  can 
express  the  impressions  produced  upon  a  living  soul. 

Tragedy  is  sublime  because  it  deals  with  man's 
struggle  amid  human  sorrows,  the  suffering  of  the 
innocent  with  the  guilty,  and  the  mystery  of  human 
life  and  personality.  It  is  great,  because  it  shows  so 
much  in  such  a  short  space  of  time.  Yet  notwithstand- 
ing these  elements  of  greatness,  the  epic  is  regarded  by 
the  best  judges  as  a  higher  form  of  literature. 

Men  usually  regard  the  dramatic  instinct  as  a  univer- 
sal characteristic  of  everyday  life;  but  they  are  likely 
to  think  of  the  epic  as  something  rare,  and  to  be  realized 
only  a  few  times  in  the  history  of  the  race.  In  reality, 
however,  the  epic  is  also  found  in  everyday  life.  When 
you  see  some  old  man  acting  oddly,  you  smile ;  and  when 
you  speak  of  it  to  another,  you  may  dramatically  por- 
tray what  he  said  and  did.  But  if  you  were  to  see  the 
man  injured  by  an  electric  car,  how  different  would  be 


THE   EPIC   SPIRIT  IO? 

your  spirit  in  telling  the  story.  To  impersonate  him 
and  imitate  what  he  did,  you  would  regard  as  sacri- 
legious. You  have  a  higher  sympathy,  and  express  the 
whole  race's  feeling  for  a  man  in  such  circumstances. 
When  any  one  tells  of  some  old  mother,  heartbroken 
over  some  terrible  news,  he  takes  his  shoes  from  off 
his  feet,  for  he  feels  that  the  ground  on  which  he 
stands  is  holy.  In  such  cases  the  speaker  rises  uncon- 
sciously into  the  epic  plane. 

Besides,  the  epic  spirit  is  often  present  even  in 
dramatic  impersonations.  Edwin  Booth  in  "  Hamlet," 
Salvini  in  "  Saul,"  Irving  in  "  Dr.  Primrose,"  consciously 
or  unconsciously  rose  to  the  dignity  of  the  epic.  In 
the  best  dramatic  art  the  true  artist  rises  higher  than 
mere  representation  and  sympathetic  participation  in 
the  scene,  and  expresses  what  is  universal  and  typical. 

Does  not  this  explain  why  readers  of  the  Scripture, 
even  in  dramatic  passages,  instinctively  refrain  from 
impersonation,  especially  of  the  most  dignified  char- 
acters ?  Even  in  undignified  scenes,  as  where  Elijah  is 
mocking  the  priests  of  Baal,  "  Cry  aloud,  for  he  is  a 
god"  (i  Kings  xviii.  27),  where  there  is  undoubted  sar- 
casm, the  reader  softens  the  dramatic  elements,  or  at 
any  rate  gives  the  next  clause,  "  and  they  cried  aloud," 
with  true  regret  and  realization  from  the  higher  point  of 
view  of  the  race.  In  all  reading  of  the  Scripture,  the 
epic  transcends  the  dramatic ;  where  this  is  not  the  case, 
the  most  ignorant  man  in  the  congregation  will  feel 
there  is  something  wrong.  An  entirely  different  im- 
pression is  made  by  a  reader  of  a  Bible  story  who  has 
some  conception  of  its  dignity,  and  does  not  exaggerate 
the  dramatic  quotations,  but  accentuates  rather  those 


108  THE   MESSAGE 

clauses  which  enable  him  to  express  the  impression 
which  scenes,  events,  or  actions  make  upon  him  as 
a  spectator.  In  giving  such  impressions  he  becomes 
a  true  representative  of  his  race.  Even  in  the  case  of 
Elijah,  the  reader  does  not  give  himself  up  completely 
to  the  portrayal  of  the  character  of  the  prophet,  which 
is  the  primary  aim  of  the  dramatic,  but  holds  himself  in 
reserve,  and  only  suggests  Elijah's  indignation  towards 
the  misleaders  of  his  people,  and  emphasizes  the  epic 
point  of  view  in  such  words  as,  "Then  the  fire  of  the 
Lord  fell,"  thus  making  these  descriptions  of  events  the 
great  centres  of  interest.  After  the  mocking  speech  of 
the  prophet,  the  reader  adopts  a  point  of  view  the 
highest  possible  to  the  race,  and  says  with  sympathy 
and  regret :  "  And  they  cried  aloud,  and  cut  themselves 
with  lances,  till  the  blood  gushed  out  upon  them."  The 
next  point  the  reader  gives  with  narrative  spirit,  but 
colors  with  sorrow  and  pity  the  words,  "  But  there  was 
no  voice,  nor  any  that  regarded." 

The  whole  story  of  Elijah  forms  a  good  illustration  of 
the  epic  spirit.  His  heroic  and  weird  intensity,  his  pas- 
sion and  earnestness,  all  partake  of  the  epic  spirit.  He 
has  been  the  type  of  the  reformer  and  the  prophet  in 
every  age. 

But  still  more  than  the  character  of  Elijah  the  events 
are  epic,  and  the  reader  must  show  the  impression 
which  every  event  makes  upon  him.  Decidedly  dra- 
matic as  the  scenes  and  characters  in  the  story  may 
appear,  the  reader  must  be  himself;  he  must  realize 
every  situation  as  a  sympathetic  spectator  and  reveal  his 
own  impressions. 

Such  illustrations   as   these   show  us  that  the  most 


THE   EPIC   SPIRIT  1 09 

dramatic  passages  in  the  Bible  are  in  direct  connection 
with  the  epic  spirit.  Even  the  dramatic  itself,  if  used 
in  dignified  narration,  must  be  justified  by  the  epic 
spirit  of  simple  descriptive  or  narrative  clauses.  The 
dramatic  calls  for  representation  in  giving  quotations, 
but  the  reader  must  express  his  own  point  of  view.  If 
dramatic  personation  is  given  at  the  expense  of  dramatic 
participation,  the  noble  spirit  of  the  passage  is  degraded. 

In  the  Qth  of  John,  when  we  describe  the  act  of  the 
Pharisees  who  cast  out  by  force  (v.  34)  the  man  whose 
eyes  had  been  opened,  we  are  justified  in  dramatically 
representing  their  spirit;  but  the  next  clause  (v.  35), 
"  Jesus  heard  that  they  had  cast  him  out,"  must  be 
given  the  epic  spirit  in  direct  opposition.  These  words 
must  be  read  with  a  slower  movement  on  a  lower  pitch, 
with  deep  intensity  and  wonder  at  the  Master's  tender- 
ness. From  the  dramatic  point  of  view  this  clause 
would  be  slighted ;  at  any  rate,  the  false  dramatic  which 
deals  only  with  quotations  would  entirely  overlook  it  or 
give  it  as  a  matter  of  course.  But  the  true  harmonious 
movement  of  the  story,  in  short,  its  epic  spirit,  demands 
that  this  reference  to  the  Master's  finding  the  dis- 
couraged outcast  should  be  given  the  greatest  emphasis. 
This  clause  must  be  given  such  epic  dignity  as  to 
transcend  the  abnormal  and  antagonistic  utterances  of 
the  Pharisees.  In  the  dignified  rendering  of  noble 
stories  it  may  be  stated  as  a  law  that  the  epic  must 
transcend  the  dramatic. 

Observe  again,  from  this  point  of  view,  the  story  of 
the  rebuke  which  Nathan  gave  to  David  (2  Sam.  xii. 
1-14;  see  p.  75).  Nathan  would  give  his  imagined 
story  in  a  neutral,  narrative  manner.  The  reader  is 


110  THE  MESSAGE 

irresistibly  led  on  to  a  dramatic  interpretation  of  David's 
anger.  Cases  like  this,  where  the  real  sympathy  is  not 
with  the  character  whose  words  we  are  quoting,  require 
the  dramatic  spirit.  The  dramatic  is  objective,  and  rep- 
resents the  facts  in  the  case  just  as  they  are.  Such 
objective  truthfulness  here  is  a  necessary  part  of  the 
story.  But  in  the  last  clause,  when  Nathan  says  to 
David,  "Thou  art  the  man,"  the  reader  passes  into  a 
totally  different  spirit.  With  slow  movement,  low  pitch, 
and  an  intense  texture  of  voice,  he  expresses  his  feeling 
of  regret.  Notice  also  that  in  this  last  clause,  we  do  not 
dramatically  impersonate  Nathan,  as  we  do  David.  The 
reader  gives  what  may  be  called  an  epic  impersonation ; 
he  does  not  regard  the  manner  in  which  Nathan  gave  his 
speech,  but  interprets  rather  his  deep  regret  for  the 
king,  pity  for  his  downfall  as  well  as  indignation  for  the 
sin,  in  speaking  the  words,  "Thou  art  the  man!"  In 
such  a  clause,  our  thought  centres  on  David  rather  than 
on  Nathan.  We  feel  the  condemnation  which  awakens 
in  David's  own  soul.  We  have  no  feeling  of  anger  or 
resentment.  The  appeal  is  to  David's  conscience  and 
his  higher  nature.  The  truth  must  be  spoken  as  coming 
from  above,  not  from  any  personal  point  of  view.  For 
this  reason  there  should  be  a  long  pause  after  "Thou," 
to  gather  up  and  intensify  our  sense  of  David's  down- 
fall, and  our  awe  at  Divine  justice.  The  representation 
is  rather  that  of  the  universal  human  spirit,  or  the  spirit 
of  right  and  truth.  The  reader  is  as  much  himself  as  he 
is  Nathan.  His  emotion  of  regret  and  awe  is  his  own, 
because  he  is  in  the  racial,  or  epic,  point  of  view. 

As  another  illustration,  note  the  story  of  the  Temp- 
tation (Luke  iv.  1-15).     Here  we  contrast  the  character 


THE  EPIC   SPIRIT  III 

of  the  devil  with  the  character  of  Christ.  We  dramati- 
cally portray  Satan,  for  we  must  necessarily  show  our 
lack  of  sympathy  for  him,  and  yet  must  truthfully  show 
his  character  and  words.  A  Scripture  promise  is  quoted 
by  him  for  an  evil  purpose,  and  the  reader  does  not 
approve  of  it.  To  give  it,  as  is  often  done,  with  ap- 
proval, totally  perverts  the  meaning.  But  in  giving  the 
words  of  the  Master,  the  reader  maintains  the  most 
sympathetic  attitude ;  so  sympathetic  that  he  does  not 
think  of  his  mere  manner.  His  point  of  view  is  deeper, 
broader,  more  racial.  In  fact,  the  attitude  toward  Satan 
is  dramatic,  toward  the  Master,  epic.  One  is  dramatic 
personation,  the  other  is  epic  realization.  In  the  last 
verse,  which  must  be  decidedly  epic,  we  express  tender- 
ness and  dignity.  If  the  reader  observe  himself,  he 
will  find  that  he  instinctively  gives  these  words  more 
like  the  words  of  the  Master.  The  great  contrast  is 
between  the  words  of  the  devil  and  those  of  Jesus. 

The  over-emphasis  of  the  dramatic  element  in  all  vo- 
cal expression  has  caused  readers  to  fail  to  distinguish 
between  dramatic  and  epic  sympathy.  In  telling  a 
story  in  everyday  life,  as  well  as  in  rendering  the  high- 
est literature,  we  are  compelled  to  quote  accurately  ; 
that  is,  to  give  an  objectively  truthful  narration  of  the 
facts,  without  expressing  our  own  personal  sympathy. 
In  fact,  men  are  more  apt  to  adopt  the  dramatic  point 
of  view  in  mischief  or  sarcasm,  or  wherever  there  is  a 
lack  of  genuine  personal  sympathy.  The  epic,  on  the 
contrary,  demands  the  expression  of  sympathy  in  its 
highest  and  truest  sense.  From  this  we  see  that  the 
dramatic  is  lower  than  the  epic,  and  is  necessarily 
included  in  it.  In  a  dialogue  like  this  between  the 


112  THE   MESSAGE 

devil  and  Jesus,  it  is  the  prevalence  of  the  epic  spirit 
which  causes  the  words  of  Jesus  to  be  given  with  sym- 
pathetic awe.  As  has  already  been  shown,  we  can  quote 
the  words  of  another,  and  not  represent  his  manner,  but 
convey  our  own  impressions  as  if  we  were  hearers  and 
express  the  feelings  that  are  awakened  in  us  by  his 
thought  or  even  manner. 

The  universal  misconception  of  the  epic  spirit  is  sur- 
prising. Readers  are  always  striving  for  the  dramatic, 
as  if  that  were  the  acme  of  human  expression.  I  once 
complimented  a  public  reader  for  what  I  called  the  lyric 
power  shown,  which  seemed  to  me  rare  in  our  public 
reading  and  of  great  importance.  She  was  actually 
offended,  and  said :  "  I  am  dramatic,  not  lyric.  Lyric  is 
weak  and  will  not  succeed  with  the  world.  Your  criti- 
cism is  most  unjust."  But  if  we  rarely  find  a  public 
reader  who  has  a  proper  conception  of  the  lyric,  still 
more  rarely  do  we  find  one  who  realizes  the  epic  spirit. 
We  are  told  in  the  Life  of  Mrs.  Siddons,  that  at  eight 
years  of  age  she  delighted  to  read  aloud  from  "  Para- 
dise Lost,"  and  it  was  her  lifelong  ambition,  though 
never  realized,  to  read  Milton  in  public.  I  venture  to 
assert  that  it  was  this  exalted  conception,  this  long 
dwelling  on  the  epic  spirit  and  effort  to  grasp  epic  situ- 
ations, that  made  her  the  queen  of  tragedy. 

Even  readers  of  the  Bible  unconsciously  make  the 
dramatic  rather  than  the  epic  the  standard.  Nearly  all 
elocutionary  training  centres  in  the  dramatic.  Possibly 
this  is  natural,  because  the  dramatic  is  more  easily 
understood  on  account  of  its  being  on  a  lower  and  per- 
sonal plane,  but  the  interpreter  of  the  highest  litera- 
ture, especially  the  interpreter  of  the  Bible,  if  he  would 


THE  EPIC   SPIRIT  113 

adequately  present  the  great  message,  must  realize  the 
epic  spirit. 

It  may  be  helpful  to  some,  in  treating  of  the  epic,  to 
contrast  it  also  with  the  narrative  or  descriptive. 

In  Exodus  iiil,  the  fact  that  Moses  was  keeping  the 
flocks  of  Jethro  his  father-in-law  is  a  simple  statement 
without  significance.  But  after  a  few  clauses  we  pass 
to  something  higher.  There  is  a  far  more  spiritual 
suggestiveness,  and  when  the  voice  out  of  the  burning 
bush  speaks  to  Moses,  and  the  ineffable  name  is  given, 
all  becomes  intensely  epic.  In  nearly  all  the  stories 
of  the  New  Testament  the  beginning  is  simply  narra- 
tive. In  the  story  of  Lazarus  (Luke  xvi.  19-31) 
the  reference  to  his  lying  at  the  gate  of  the  rich 
man  awakens  the  ordinary  sympathy  with  human 
suffering ;  but  the  reader  gradually  rises  into  a  higher 
phase  of  the  dramatic  and  later  into  the  epic  spirit, 
which  reaches  its  climax  of  wonder  at  the  words, 
"  If  they  hear  not  Moses  and  the  prophets,  neither 
will  they  hear  though  one  rose  from  the  dead."  Here 
the  dramatic  spirit  is  not  possible.  Mere  narration  is 
out  of  place.  The  profound  sense  of  awe  in  the  heart 
of  every  true  reader  rises  to  epic  dignity.  A  frequent 
contrast  is  found  between  the  simple,  colloquial  introduc- 
tions to  miracles  or  parables  and  the  sublime  applica- 
tions or  climaxes  of  the  illustrations  or  descriptions, 
which  give  the  significance  of  the  events. 

With  the  epic  spirit  in  the  Bible  as  elsewhere,  lyric, 
dramatic,  narrative,  and  didactic  elements  are  always 
united.  The  epic  spirit  is  simple,  appearing  in  frag- 
ments, in  specific  sentences  or  clauses ;  and  the  reader 
must  be  sensitively  alive  to  the  greater  dignity,  to  the 


114  THE  MESSAGE 

wider  spiritual  significance,  of  such  phrases.  In  general 
the  more  dignified  a  passage  the  greater  the  predomi- 
nance of  the  epic  spirit. 

In  the  vocal  expression  of  the  epic,  there  are  an  unusual 
accentuation  of  pause,  movement,  intensity  of  touch,  and 
all  the  elements  of  rhythm;  an  intenser  color  of  the 
voice,  and  a  higher  union  of  all  the  expressive  modula- 
tions, as  there  are  a  higher  harmony  and  sympathy. 

The  reader  of  the  Bible  must  be  careful  not  to  form 
the  opinion  that  the  epic  is  so  exalted  and  dignified 
that  it  is  inflexible  and  monotonous,  and  eliminates  the 
usual  elements  of  expression.  The  opposite  is  true. 
The  more  epic  a  passage,  the  more  abrupt  and  intense 
the  transitions,  the  greater  the  changes  of  pitch,  the 
longer  the  inflections,  and  the  more  significant  the 
pauses.  Every  modulation  is  to  be  accentuated  and 
none  eliminated. 

The  reader  of  the  Bible  must  avoid  the  temptation  of 
giving  even  the  words  of  Christ  monotonously  or  even 
all  alike.  The  more  noble  the  expression,  the  more  dig- 
nified the  thought,  the  more  intense  and  more  sublime 
will  be  the  changes  in  feeling.  Especially  will  there 
be  greater  changes  in  the  rhythmic  pulsations  of  the 
voice.  It  is  an  impressive  lesson  to  arrange  side  by 
side  many  different  emotions  which  are  expressed  in  the 
utterances  of  the  Master.  What  regret  is  in  His  words, 
"  How  often  would  I  have  gathered  your  children  to- 
gether as  a  hen  gathers  her  brood  under  Her  own 
wings  !  "  What  approval  in  "  Go  in  peace  !  "  What 
sorrow  in  "  O  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem  !  "  What  sarcasm 
in  "  Go  tell  that  fox  !  "  What  indignation  in  "  Ye  off- 
spring  of  vipers !  "  What  tender  sympathy  in  "  Woman, 


THE  EPIC  SPIRIT  115 

behold  thy  son  !  "  What  sorrow  and  pity  in  "  The  cock 
shall  not  crow  before  thou  shalt  deny  me  thrice  !  "  What 
a  confidence  in  "  I,  if  I  be  lifted  up,  will  draw  all  men 
unto  me ! "  What  solemn  warning  and  regret  in  His 
"  Beware  !  "  What  persuasion  in  His  "  Come  unto  me 
all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden  !  "  What  wonder 
and  admiration  in  "  I  have  not  found  so  great  faith,  no, 
not  in  Israel !  "  What  infinite  love  in  "  Father,  forgive 
them,  they  know  not  what  they  do !  " 

We  may  find  an  illustration  of  the  epic  spirit  in  any 
Bible  story  to  which  we  may  open.  In  the  dramatic 
rebuke  which  Elisha  administers  to  Gehazi  (2  Kings 
v.  25-27)  the  earnest  reader  identifies  himself  sympa- 
thetically with  the  attitude  of  the  prophet.  Elisha' s 
indignation  that  the  great  lesson  which  he  had  intended 
to  convey  to  one  of  the  great  leaders  of  the  world  had 
been  vitiated  by  the  selfishness  of  his  servant,  leads  the 
reader  to  a  dramatic  point  of  view.  But  this  must  be 
only  temporary.  The  real  impression  is  given  later. 
As  we  contemplate  the  doom  which  follows  the  ser- 
vant's wrong-doing,  after  a  long  pause  and  change  to 
a  lower  key  and  slower,  stronger  movement,  we  should 
render  the  final  remark  with  intense  regret  and  epic 
dignity,  "  And  he  went  out  from  his  presence  a  leper, 
white  as  snow ! " 

Take  another  illustration,  the  story  of  the  destruction 
of  Sodom  (Gen.  xviii.  22-xix.  29).  Abraham's  real 
desire  is  to  save  Lot ;  but  in  his  prayer  he  pleads  for 
the  city  as  a  whole  and  founds  his  prayer  on  the  Divine 
justice  to  "the  righteous  that  are  therein."  When  the 
request  is  narrowed  down  to  ten,  he  can  go  no  farther 
in  his  petition.  His  faith  can  ask  no  more,  for  he  feels 


Il6  THE  MESSAGE 

sure  that  in  all  that  city  there  must  be  ten  good  men. 
Omitting  verse  5  (xix.)  the  reader  can  bring  out  certain 
epic  elements  in  the  story  and  give  unity  to  the  whole  by 
making  a  long  pause  after  the  events  are  given.  Then 
let  him  slowly  and  suggestively  read  verse  29,  "  And  it 
came  to  pass  that  God  remembered  Abraham ! "  In 
this  way  the  reader  emphasizes  the  fact  that  Abraham's 
prayer  was  really  answered,  that  the  Divine  hand  was 
behind  all  of  the  events,  and  so  the  whole  story  is  lifted 
to  an  epic  level. 

The  epic  must  be  revealed  in  the  spirit,  not  in  the 
letter.  Explanation  and  definition  are  inadequate  be- 
cause as  a  form  of  art  the  epic  can  only  be  explained 
by  art.  Without  the  epic  instinct,  the  vocal  interpreta- 
tion of  the  highest  literature  is  impossible.  The  epic 
brings  the  dramatic,  the  lyric,  and  all  other  elements 
into  a  higher  unity.  With  our  dramatic  imagination  we 
appropriate  the  experience  of  men,  and  enter  into  dif- 
ferent points  of  view;  but  in  epic  poetry  we  come  to 
a  higher  realization,  the  realization  of  ourselves  and  of 
the  race.  To  be  one's  self,  and  to  express  it,  is  the  cli- 
max of  vocal  expression.  To  apprehend  the  universal 
in  the  individual  soul  is  the  highest  aim  of  human  art. 
No  man  can  rightly  read  the  Bible  without  being  truly 
and  genuinely  himself.  He  must  rise  higher  than  the 
dramatic  impersonation  of  his  fellow-men ;  he  must  sug- 
gest rather  than  represent  what  they  think  and  feel ;  he 
must  himself  stand  face  to  face  with  the  eternal  purposes 
and  measure  by  these  the  significance  of  the  smallest 
event  he  narrates,  and  by  his  voice  express  simply  and 
sincerely  the  impressions  made  upon  his  receptive  soul. 


XII.     THE  ART   OF   THE   MASTER 

ART  is  a  universal  element  in  human  nature,  and 
necessary  to  human  development  and  progress.  "  With- 
out art,"  says  William  Winter,  "each  of  us  would  be 
alone."  Language  on  the  plane  of  prose  can  convey 
mere  commonplace  truths  or  facts.  To  express  the 
deeper  relations,  to  answer  the  higher  demands  of  man, 
require  some  form  of  art.  The  soul's  questions,  it  has 
been  well  said,  cannot  be  answered  with  mere  words ; 
a  "  question  of  fact  can  be  answered  only  with  things." 

A  proof  of  the  universal  and  necessary  function  of 
art  is  shown  by  the  circumstances  that  the  Master  him- 
self was  compelled  to  employ  it.  Many  were  surprised 
that  He  spoke  truth  in  parables ;  but  He  explained  His 
reason  to  be  "  the  hardness  of  the  heart."  His  message 
was  too  subtle  to  be  presented  directly  on  the  common- 
place plane.  Truth  is  so  spiritual  that  it  can  only  be 
intimated.  Hence  the  necessity  of  an  art  form  to  create 
conditions  favorable  to  its  reception. 

Art  is  not  a  sign-board  on  the  one  hand,  nor  a  puzzle 
on  the  other.  If  it  is  a  finger-board,  it  points  toward 
the  infinite  and  the  eternal,  and  cannot  be  read  at  a 
glance.  It  appeals  to  that  which  is  deeper  than  the 
eye.  It  is  not  a  mere  lesson  that  can  be  conveyed 
directly  to  the  intellect  and  be  understood  at  once. 
It  is  a  road  mounting  to  a  higher  plane  that  must  be 

117 


Il8  THE  MESSAGE 

travelled.  It  never  pleases  on  the  lower  plane.  In 
proportion  as  it  attempts  it,  it  is  not  art. 

The  profounder  the  truth  to  be  conveyed,  the  more 
is  an  artistic  medium  necessary;  for  any  one  can  see 
that  mere  words  or  language  on  the  commonplace  plane 
can  suggest  only  a  new  combination  of  old  conceptions. 
Emerson  has  shown  in  his  essay  on  "  Poetry  and  the 
Imagination "  that  the  imaginative  creations  or  the 
poetic  faculty  are  the  first  means  enabling  men  to  re- 
gard things  as  significant,  and  to  turn  their  attention 
from  the  material  terminus  of  the  universe  toward  the 
central  Spirit.  It  is  imagination  which  enables  us  to 
look  through  appearances  to  the  spiritual  cause. 

We  find  further,  that  the  artistic  method  is  more 
necessary  in  proportion  to  the  misconceptions  and  preju- 
dices of  those  to  whom  the  truth  is  uttered.  Where 
men  look  at  mere  facts  and  think  they  understand  them, 
art  is  necessary  to  awaken  them  to  a  sense  of  their 
misconceptions  of  spirit.  Prose  and  the  commonplace 
deal  with  the  letter ;  it  is  the  imaginative  and  the  poetic 
which  put  us  on  the  path  to  the  appreciation  of  the 
spirit. 

A  deeper,  more  artistic,  rather  than  theological  study 
of  the  manner  of  the  Master  would  be  of  infinite  value 
to  us.  His  parables  possess  all  the  characteristics  of  a 
work  of  art ;  they  are  full  of  dramatic  and  epic  elements, 
have  in  them  story,  pictures,  situation,  and  clearly  drawn 
characters.  Thought,  reflection,  emotion,  and  moral  ap- 
plication are  all  combined  in  living  unity.  Their  spir- 
itual and  moral  uses  do  not  detract  from  their  artistic 
value. 

As  the  parable  appeals  to   and  awakens  the  entire 


THE  ART  OF  THE  MASTER  119 

nature  of  the  man,  the  harmonious  unity,  the  coordina- 
tion of  elements  which  belong  to  all  art,  are  needed  to 
interpret  it.  Misinterpretations  of  the  parables  have 
resulted  chiefly  from  regarding  merely  one  aspect, 
one  sentence,  or  one  clause  apart  from  its  connec- 
tion. This  violates  the  laws  of  all  interpretation.  By 
taking  proof-texts  isolated  from  the  context,  the  Scrip- 
tures can  be  made  to  prove  anything.  The  Master  has 
embodied  the  truth  in  an  artistic  form  so  that  not  only 
misconceptions  or  perversions  may  be  prevented  or  cor- 
rected, but  also  that  the  contemplating  spirit  may  gradu- 
ally arrive  at  the  deeper  meaning  of  the  teaching. 

In  the  interpretation,  therefore,  of  a  parable  by  the 
voice  everything  must  harmonize  with  one  situation 
and  central  idea.  A  work  of  art  is  an  organic  unity. 
As  in  an  organism  all  parts  must  be  coordinated  and 
act  in  unity,  so  in  the  parable  as  in  any  other  work  of 
art,  an  emphasis  which  destroys  the  artistic  unity  is 
wrong.  According  to  Delsarte  we  can  test  the  adequacy 
of  any  expression  by  exaggeration  (see  p.  322).  If  the 
accentuation  of  any  element  emphasizes  the  completeness 
of  a  parable  and  makes  it  more  impressive,  the  true  centre 
has  been  found  and  exaggeration  will  only  show  increase 
of  power.  But  if  the  interpretation  be  one-sided,  exaggera- 
tion will  show  disproportion  and  prove  the  interpretation 
to  be  wrong. 

All  art  is  the  expression  of  life,  a  creation  in  obe- 
dience to  the  laws  of  nature.  The  primary  law  of  life 
is  from  a  centre  outward.  Any  interpretation  which 
makes  a  part  of  a  parable  appear  mechanical  or  strained 
violates  the  law  of  life,  which  is  the  supreme  law  of 
art.  The  vocal  interpretation  of  the  parable  must 


120  THE  MESSAGE 

suggest  a  living  centre  about  which  all  parts  radiate. 
A  parable  is  not  abstract.  The  characters  live  so  as  to 
touch  men  on  the  plane  of  real  life.  It  is  like  a  picture ; 
every  part  must  be  felt  at  once,  or  its  meaning  will  be 
warped. 

The  art  of  the  Master  suggests  to  us  another  topic. 
What  were  the  characteristics  of  His  delivery  ?  How 
did  He  himself  speak  one  of  His  own  parables  ?  What 
were  the  characteristics  of  the  delivery  of  the  Sermon 
on  the  Mount  ?  In  this  matter  we  are  not  left  wholly  to 
conjecture.  We  have  a  few  references  at  least  which 
allude  to  His  delivery.  At  the  close  of  the  Sermon  on 
the  Mount,  it  is  said  by  the  writer,  "The  multitudes 
were  astonished  at  his  teaching."  The  word  "  teach- 
ing "  was  formerly  translated  "doctrine,"  as  if  referring 
to  the  substance  of  what  He  said.  But  that  the  writer 
referred  to  His  delivery  is  shown  by  the  words  that 
follow,  "for  he  taught  them  as  one  having  authority 
and  not  as  the  scribes."  His  unaffected  sincerity  and 
earnestness  showed  Him  to  be  one  who  spoke  with  the 
authority  of  personal  experience.  He  spoke  what  He 
knew,  what  He  felt  and  realized.  This  is  the  only 
authority  in  expression. 

There  are  many  references  to  the  effect  of  His  man- 
ner. Before  His  majestic  bearing  the  Roman  soldiers, 
when  they  came  into  the  garden  to  arrest  Him,  fell  back. 
We  find  often  in  the  Gospels  such  remarks  as  "  Never 
man  spake  like  this  man,"  "  They  were  all  amazed,"  or 
"They  were  astonished  at  his  teaching."  The  Greek 
word  means  the  act  of  teaching  and  must  refer  to 
manner  as  well  as  matter. 

But  more  than  this,  we  have  a  reference  even  to  the 


THE  ART   OF  THE   MASTER  121 

very  subject  of  this  book,  the  impression  produced  upon 
a  congregation  by  His  reading  of  the  Scriptures.  We 
are  told,  "  The  eyes  of  all  in  the  synagogue  were  fast- 
ened upon  him."  And  again,  "  All  bare  him  witness 
and  wondered  at  the  words  of  grace  that  proceeded  out 
of  his  mouth."  These  words  must  refer  partly  to  the 
manner  of  His  reading,  for  what  He  said  in  exposition  of 
the  reading  caused  a  total  change :  "  They  were  all  filled 
with  wrath." 

To  one  who  will  gather  up  the  fragments,  a  picture  of 
the  manner  or  expression  of  the  Master  can  be  formed 
by  the  imagination.  That  nearly  all  have  some  ideal  of 
His  marvellous  manner  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  rarely  is 
a  Bible  reader  so  lost  to  epic  instinct  as  not  to  interpret 
the  Master's  words  with  dignity  and  impressiveness. 
The  inflections  are  straight,  the  touch  more  definite,  the 
changes  of  pitch  more  regular,  the  pauses  longer,  and 
the  movement  slower. 

All  the  principles  of  Bible  reading  may  be  summarized 
in  the  interpretation  of  the  art  of  the  Master  as  illus- 
trated by  that  gem  of  all  the  parables,  the  miscalled 
"  Parable  of  the  Prodigal  Son."  This  title  is  poor  be- 
cause it  directs  all  attention  and  blame  to  the  younger 
brother ;  but  the  older  brother  never  repented,  and  his 
attitude  toward  the  father  was  as  bad  or  worse. 

This  parable  is  full  of  dramatic  elements  and  reaches 
the  dignity  of  the  sublimest  epic. 

Much  ingenuity  has  been  shown  in  explaining  certain 
parts  of  the  parable,  but  ingenuity  is  dangerous  in  art. 
The  greatest  art  is  simple,  and  this,  the  sublimest  of  all 
works  of  art,  is  preeminently  so.  We  must  accept  the 
story  and  characters  as  genuine,  imaginative  creations. 


122  THE  MESSAGE 

This  is  not  an  allegory ;  it  is  a  drama  of  human  life.  It 
is  more  than  dramatic.  It  brings  us  to  the  realization 
of  two  types  of  men  and  God's  attitude  toward  them. 
There  are  two  ways  of  becoming  a  sinner,  —  by  exuber- 
ance, the  fault  of  the  younger  brother,  and  by  repres- 
sion, the  fault  of  the  elder;  but  infinite  love  forgives 
both. 

The  word  "  sons,"  though  a  centre  of  attention,  must 
not  be  given  too  great  accentuation,  as  that  might  imply 
the  existence  of  daughters.  To  give  emphasis  to  the 
word  "  man "  would  imply  that  some  beast  had  two 
sons.  Such  a  simple  narrative  requires  no  unusual 
emphasis ;  all  the  centres  of  attention  should  be  shown 
harmoniously  by  rhythmic  accentuation,  inflection,  and 
touch,  but  should  not  suggest  antithesis.  Undue  length- 
ening of  an  inflection  especially  suggests  an  antithesis, 
expressed  or  implied.  "  Younger  "  requires  accent  to 
direct  attention,  as  the  centre  of  the  first  half  of  the 
story.  The  Greek  word  is  out  of  its  regular  place,  and 
hints  at  emphasis.  "  Portion  of  goods  "  is  a  new  idea. 
The  falling  inflection  on  "  divided "  indicates  simply 
that  the  father  complied  with  the  request,  but  there 
may  be  also  an  accentuation  of  the  idea  of  "living." 
Was  the  younger  brother  antagonistic  ?  Can  the  reader 
give  a  delicate  hint  of  his  self-confidence?  Certainly 
the  father's  answer  should  be  colored  with  regret.  He 
already  realizes  the  son's  mistake.  The  father's  un- 
changing love  is  the  sublime  centre  of  the  parable,  and 
is,  of  course,  epic. 

We  have  (v.  13)  a  natural  sequence  of  events,  the 
mind  being  successively  concentrated  on  "together," 
"the  journey,"  and  especially  the  "far  country,"  and 


THE   ART   OF   THE   MASTER  123 

the  pause  and  change  in  movement  suggest  that  far 
country  which  is  only  in  the  soul. 

In  the  next  clause  the  chief  attention  is  given  to 
"  wasted  "  with  a  deeper  coloring  and  slower  movement 
and  with  climax  on  "riotous  living."  A  slight  coloring 
of  regret  may  be  shown  on  " wasted"  or  of  condemna- 
tion on  "  riotous  living,"  but  extreme  and  frequent 
changes  are  apt  to  cause  chaos  in  noble  art.  The  emo- 
tions begin  now  to  be  more  defined ;  not  mere  facts  are 
expressed  but  strong  impressions. 

There  are  various  ways  of  reading  the  next  clause,  — 
possibly  the  best  is  to  give  it  very  slowly.  The  word 
"famine"  needs  a  long  pause  after  it.  It  needs  to  be 
apprehended,  the  impression  of  it  taken  home,  and  the 
rest  subordinated.  There  should  especially  be  no  em- 
phasis on  "that"  or  "land."  The  famine  was  not 
literal  as  in  any  land  —  it  was  worse  than  a  famine  of 
the  body.  In  this  account,  should  there  be  sympathy 
or  indignation  ?  The  epic  dignity  and  central  lesson  of 
the  whole  are  better  emphasized  by  expressing  regret. 
Reproach  can  be  best  given  in  that  way.  The  reader 
of  the  Scripture  is  not  a  judge ;  he  is  sent  not  to  con- 
demn but  to  proclaim  a  message  from  one  who  said 
that  he  came  that  the  world  might  be  saved. 

"  And  he  began  to  be  in  want  "  should  be  read  with 
a  long  pause  after  "  began,"  with  deep  feeling,  strong 
touch,  long  inflections,  pauses,  and  slow  movement. 
The  word  "  want  "  should  be  contrasted  with  his  former 
abundance  and  wealth.  The  slowness  of  movement 
shows  the  depth  and  significance  of  his  condition. 
"  Citizen  "  introduces  a  new  character  and  a  new  stage 
in  the  story,  but  this  is  not  of  great  importance.  The 


124  THE   MESSAGE 

word  "  swine "  more  than  anything  else  shows  the 
climax  of  degradation ;  if  we  remember  the  Jews'  con- 
tempt for  pigs,  which  were  considered  unclean,  we  can 
realize  a  still  greater  antithesis  to  his  former  luxury. 
There  should  be  a  pause  before  and  after  "  swine." 
The  word  "  husks  "  should  be  followed  by  a  pause,  in 
order  to  indicate  strong  feeling.  Renewed  emphasis  on 
"  swine  "  may  possibly  suggest  that  he  envied  them  their 
food.  "  No  man  gave  unto  him  "  marks  the  climax  of  his 
isolation  and  fall.  No  one  gave  even  enough  thought  to 
him  to  afford  him  that  ministry.  This  clause  should  be 
read  very  slowly  and  sympathetically.  The  epic  spirit 
and  unity  of  the  whole  story  demand  that  we  feel  for 
his  desertion.  The  story  so  far  is  perfectly  human ;  the 
result  is  something  to  be  deplored  rather  than  to  be 
condemned.  It  is  our  own  spiritual  case  that  is  being 
described.  We  can  express  the  dignity  of  the  Divine 
only  by  being  perfectly  human  in  our  sympathy. 

"  And  when  he  came  to  himself "  should  be  read 
slowly.  Himself,  the  first  word  in  the  Greek,  should 
be  strongly  accentuated.  Sin  is  a  violation  of  the 
divine  order,  and  in  coming  to  himself,  he  came  to  a 
realization  of  his  condition,  to  the  meaning  of  his  life 
and  of  his  departure  from  his  birthright  privileges. 

In  the  phrase  "  hired  servants  "  some  readers  accent 
the  word  "  hired."  Did  he  wish  to  become  a  servant 
of  the  lowest  class,  hired  only  occasionally,  having  no 
permanent  home  with  his  father  ?  Did  he  mean,  "  How 
many  of  my  father's  meanest  servants  have  bread  enough 
and  to  spare  ? "  '  Possibly  we  might  translate,  "  How 
many  hirelings  of  my  father,"  a  hireling  being  lower 
than  a  servant.  In  the  quotations  from  the  younger 


THE   ART   OF  THE   MASTER  125 

brother,  the  reader  must  not  literally  impersonate,  but 
dramatically  participate  in  the  situation,  or  rather  epi- 
cally  realize  his  own  experiences.  "  I  "  is  emphatic. 
Note  the  force  of  a  pause  after  it.  It  expresses  sur- 
prise at  his  own  conduct.  It  shows  an  awakening  real- 
ization of  his  condition,  the  very  opposite  of  egotism  or 
selfish  calculation.  "  Perish  "  should  also  be  forcibly 
accentuated. 

The  tones  of  the  voice  must  give  the  spirit ;  the  spirit, 
not  the  letter,  gives  dignity.  "  I  will  arise  and  go  to 
my  father"  should  be  read  slowly,  with  each  point 
strongly  accentuated.  Those  at  home  were  the  last 
ones  the  ragged  outcast  wanted  to  meet.  What  could 
be  more  humiliating  to  his  pride  ?  His  confession  is 
subjective  and  intense.  "  Sinned "  is  the  key-word. 
Some  quibble  about  his  repentance  after  he  had  gone 
to  the  extreme.  His  "coming  to  himself,"  however, 
implies  that  his  repentance  was  genuine.  "  Heaven  " 
and  "  thee  "  both  require  strong  touch  and  inflection, 
to  show  that  his  repentance  was  sincere  and  all-sided. 
The  movement  and  cotor  of  the  voice  should  indicate 
the  heavy  load  upon  his  mind,  and  should  suggest  that 
he  took  the  only  step  a  soul  should  take.  "  Hired  ser- 
vants "  should  again  be  accentuated,  in  order  to  express 
his  humility  and  willingness  to  take  the  lowest  place. 
There  was  not  the  slightest  thought  or  dream  of  the 
welcome  that  awaited  him.  Notice  the  fine  antithesis 
between  "  son  "  and  "  servants/' 

"  He  arose  and  came  to  his  father  "  should  be  read 
very  slowly,  the  rhythm  strongly  accentuated,  a  pause 
after  every  accentuated  touch  or  centre  of  attention. 

The  word  "  but "  is  one  of  the   greatest  words  in 


126  THE   MESSAGE 

delivery.  It  plays  an  important  r61e  in  the  parables.  It 
always  indicates  a  change  in  emotion  or  situation.  Here 
it  indicates  a  species  of  surprise.  "  A  great  way  off  " 
has  the  precedence  in  the  Greek,  and  should  be  accentu- 
ated strongly  by  inflection,  pause,  and  color.  "  Father  " 
is  implied,  not  emphatic.  The  parable  is  not  about 
one  son  but  about  two  sons ;  yet  still  more  is  it  a  parable 
of  a  loving  father  who  treated  both  boys  with  equal 
tenderness.  The  actions  of  the  father  must  be  given 
with  great  epic  dignity,  but  there  must  be  a  certain 
color  resulting  from  the  joy  and  love  that  dominated 
him. 

The  son's  speech  to  the  father,  given  with  great  feel- 
ing, was  not  completed.  There  should  be  a  rising  in- 
flection on  "  son,"  to  indicate  this  incompleteness.  In 
the  Greek,  the  words  "  father  "  and  "  son  "  are  brought 
into  close  antithesis,  implying  an  interruption  which 
cannot  be  translated  into  English,  but  the  spirit  of 
which  can  be  expressed  by  the  voice.  In  giving  the 
confession  he  would  be  more  excited  than  when  he 
first  made  his  resolution.  There  must  be  no  whine; 
all  modulations  of  the  voice  must  indicate  great  depth 
of  feeling.  "  Servants,"  in  the  next  verse,  possibly  has 
some  slight  accentuation,  but  the  strongest  attention 
should  be  directed  to  the  unexpected  words  "robe," 
"ring,"  and  "shoes."  The  mere  words,  however,  are 
of  little  consequence ;  excitement,  joy,  and  intense  love 
should  permeate  all.  We  should  be  careful  about  ac- 
centuating "  hand  "  or  "  feet,"  as  these  are  the  natural 
places  for  the  ring  and  shoes.  The  "  fatted  calf  "  and 
"  eat  and  be  merry "  show  a  progression  of  acts,  and 
should  be  touched  saliently  and  pointedly.  Then  with 


THE  ART  OF  THE  MASTER  127 

deeper  feeling  and  love,  "  This  my  son  was  dead,  and 
is  alive  again."  The  antithesis  should  be  strong  but  not 
intellectual.  His  love  is  deep  and  sacred,  and  there  is 
epic  dignity  in  the  expression  of  his  feeling  at  the  wan- 
derer's return.  "  Kissed "  is  emphatic  in  the  Greek, 
implying  love  and  tenderness  as  well  as  pardon. 

The  clause,  "  They  began  to  be  merry,"  should  be 
spoken  slowly ;  the  father's  long  waiting  is  ended,  and 
the  whole  household  shares  in  the  joy.  Note  the  repe- 
tition of  "began."  Everything  is  but  a  beginning  in 
relation  to  human  character. 

A  total  change  in  color  and  movement  and  method 
of  emphasis  now  ensues.  The  intellectual  and  melodic 
elements  of  inflection  and  change  of  pitch  should  be 
made  salient,  the  better  to  indicate  the  new  aspect  of 
the  story.  The  emphasis  is  upon  "elder"  and  "field," 
which  should  be  strongly  inflected,  with  a  slight  pause 
after  them,  to  indicate  the  change  in  situation,  and  the 
reason  also  for  what  follows. 

We  must  realize  the  elder  son's  point  of  view,  and 
give  "music  and  dancing"  with  a  suggestion  of  the 
surprise  and  wonder  which  he  would  naturally  feel. 
We  must,  however,  not  anticipate  his  antagonism. 
Events  must  be  presented  only  as  they  happen.  All 
art,  and  this  especially  applies  to  reading,  lives  in 
the  present.  "Servants"  is  slightly  accentuated  to 
indicate  our  surprise  that  he  should  not  rush  at  once 
to  share  his  father's  joy.  Is  there  not  here  a  deli- 
cate hint  that  he  also  is  in  "a  far  country,"  "in  the 
field,"  in  a  double  sense  ?  The  reader  must  not,  how- 
ever, express  extreme  astonishment  at  the  elder  brother's 
conduct.  As  a  sympathetic  spectator  he  begins  to  have 


128  THE   MESSAGE 

a  suspicion  and  dread,  but  must  not  anticipate  so  far  as 
to  condemn. 

What  emotion  dominated  the  servant  in  giving  the 
information?  It  must  have  been  joy.  He  says,  "thy 
brother."  The  point  of  this  part  of  the  story  is  the 
elder  brother's  unnaturalness,  which  is  accentuated  in 
order  to  show  the  unnaturalness  of  the  scribes  and 
Pharisees.  The  story  demands  his  isolation.  He  is 
the  only  one  who  does  not  welcome  home  the  repent- 
ant sinner.  There  should,  therefore,  be  a  delicate  dra- 
matic hint  of  the  servant's  joy.  We  must  realize  the 
importance  of  what  we  may  call  dramatic  exegesis. 
Passage  after  passage  in  the  parables  and  elsewhere 
can  be  found  where  there  is  no  verbal  method  of  de- 
termining questions  of  vocal  interpretation.  There 
must  be  most  faithful  study  of  critical  comment  to 
obtain  the  point  of  view ;  but  after  all  that  criticism 
can  give  us  has  been  found,  then  the  dramatic  and 
epic  instincts  must  have  their  voice.  Each  art  has 
its  own  plane  of  truth,  and  reveals  what  no  other  art 
can  ever  say.  "And  he  was  angry"  brings  us  to  an 
important  epic  climax.  This  must  not  be  given  as 
mere  description ;  the  reader  must  reveal  his  impres- 
sions, surprise,  and  disappointment  at  the  fact.  The 
rendering  of  the  parable  demands  that  the  reader 
shall  be  himself,  that  he  shall  be  an  interested  spec- 
tator, and  every  event  described  must  be  given  as  a 
vivid  impression  on  his  living  soul.  The  clause  must 
be  read  slowly,  and  must  express  our  sorrow  at  his 
inhumanity.  A  shock  is  shown  by  silence,  and  silence 
follows  here  the  word  "and,"  also  the  word  "angry." 
There  must  be  a  complete  break  in  the  rhythm  and 


THE   ART   OF  THE  MASTER  129 

color.  In  fact,  every  vocal  modulation  must  be  con- 
trasted with  all  that  precedes  in  the  parable. 

In  the  next  clause,  "  And  would  not  go  in,"  there  may 
be  some  indication  of  his  spirit  rather  than  the  reader's 
own  feeling  about  it.  It  may  be  given  with  a  little  in- 
dignation. The  movement  should  increase  or  decrease. 
Everything  must  be  given  from  the  human  point  of 
view.  We  find  here  one  who  sinned  by  repression. 
The  man  who  crushes  out  all  his  nobler  impulses  till  he 
is  angry  when  his  lost  brother  has  come  home,  who  has 
no  welcome,  but  on  the  contrary  anger  and  antagonism, 
is  one  who  has  perverted  the  very  foundations  of  his 
nature.  There  is  no  doubt,  at  any  rate,  which  of  these 
two  classes  the  Master  meant  to  condemn,  and  which 
He  intended  to  encourage.  It  was  His  message  of  hope 
to  the  downtrodden  and  despised,  those  who  through 
sin  had  been  brought  to  want,  and  His  condemnation  of 
the  murmuring,  respectable  members  of  society  who 
were  sneering  and  saying  he  receives  the  unwashed  and 
"eateth  with  them." 

Now  we  come  to  the  heart  of  the  parable,  "  His  father 
came  out  and  entreated  him."  This  should  be  given 
with  great  tenderness,  for  the  father  had  the  same  atti- 
tude of  tenderness  toward  the  second  son  as  toward  the 
first.  The  father,  it  must  be  remembered,  is  the  centre 
of  the  parable.  The  loss  of  the  true  point  of  view,  or 
perspective,  is  a  sad  example  of  Biblical  misinterpretation. 

In  the  answer  of  the  elder  brother  to  his  father,  we 
come  into  direct  dramatic  realization  of  his  spirit.  Here 
there  must  be  a  suggestion  of  personation,  or  represen- 
tation. In  the  descriptive  clauses,  we  may  give  either 
our  own  feeling  or  the  elder  brother's.  There  is  an 
K 


130  THE   MESSAGE 

opportunity  for  dramatic  participation  or  the  epic  spirit 
in  these  clauses,  and  we  may  choose  our  own  point  of 
view.  His  anger,  however,  must  be  treated  with  dig- 
nity. The  epic  spirit  of  the  story  requires  us  to  be 
surprised  at  his  course,  and  this  surprise  must  affect 
even  the  manner  of  quoting  his  words.  He  must  not  be 
imitated  nor  completely  represented.  Still  his  spirit  and 
feeling  must  be  truthfully  and  dramatically  suggested. 
The  elder  brother  would  no  doubt  emphasize  "years." 
He  would  especially  emphasize  "  kid  "  as  not  so  valuable 
as  calf.  The  word  "  my  "  may  have  something  of  em- 
phasis ;  though  there  is  some  doubt  of  his  having  any 
friends  of  the  genuine  type,  as  the  coldness  of  his  heart 
would  repel  rather  than  attract  all  except  a  few  who 
sought  favors.  He  does  not  speak  the  word  "  brother." 
"  Thy  son  "  indicates  a  sneer.  He  could  have  hinted  no 
worse  insult.  A  sarcastic,  staccato  accent  on  "  harlots," 
"him,"  and  "calf"  indicates  antitheses.  The  movement 
and  color  should  indicate  his  anger. 

At  verse  3 1  there  must  be  long  pauses,  great  change 
in  movement,  color,  and  a  lower  key  to  suggest  the  dig- 
nified bearing  and  love  of  the  Father.  In  the  last 
verses  the  epic  spirit  must  directly  oppose  the  dramatic 
character  and  lack  of  dignity  in  the  speech  of  the  elder 
brother.  The  father's  nobility  and  the  elder  brother's 
meanness  are  strongly  contrasted.  "  Son  "  in  the  origi- 
nal is  a  term  of  endearment,  "my  boy,"  "my  child," 
and  is  indicative  of  great  tenderness.  The  father's 
speech  must  be  given  with  sympathy  and  control  of 
breath,  and  very  slowly;  subjectively,  too,  for  he  is  talk- 
ing to  us  and  stating  an  absolute  truth  for  every  soul. 
The  word  "  ever  "  is  very  emphatic,  and  requires  a  long 
pause  after  it. 


THE  ART   OF  THE   MASTER  131 

The  phrase  "thy  brother"  should  have  a  peculiar 
sympathetic  emphasis  with  a  pause  after  it  as  a  gentle 
reminder,  but  it  should  not  detract  from  the  great  em- 
phasis on  "dead"  and  "alive  again,"  "lost"  and 
"  found."  The  whole  speech  must  have  great  intensity 
and  dignity  in  color,  texture,  and  movement.  The 
Master  evidently  meant  that  the  welcome  to  one,  and 
tender  appeal  to  the  other,  should  both  show  the  love  of 
the  infinite  Father. 

The  parable  is  often  strained.  Some  go  so  far  as  to 
say  that  the  father  had  no  right  to  take  anything  from 
the  elder  brother's  portion  and  give  it  to  the  younger. 
This  makes  the  figure  "  go  on  all  fours,"  and  loses  com- 
pletely the  point  of  the  parable.  All  the  gifts  of  God 
belong  to  every  soul  who  will  receive  them. 

To  render  this  parable  requires  an  appreciation  of 
both  the  epic  and  the  dramatic  spirit.  It  demands  also 
all  the  possibilities  of  the  voice.  Every  modulation  is 
needed.  It  must  be  read  very  slowly,  and  there  must 
be  frequent  pauses.  There  must  be  constant  change  of 
pitch  and,  at  certain  points  in  the  parable,  the  transi- 
tions must  be  very  extreme  and  decided.  The  differ- 
ent emotions  must  be  accentuated.  The  spirit  of  the 
younger  brother's  repentance  and  of  the  elder  brother's 
antagonism  and  of  the  father's  love  for  both  must  be 
shown.  The  expression  of  each  character  should  be 
definite  and  true,  but  should  be  presented  in  the  epic 
spirit,  rather  than  in  the  descriptive,  narrative,  or  dra- 
matic. The  reader's  realization  must  be  behind  every- 
thing. Every  event  must  be  given  the  sublimest  and 
most  typical  character  possible. 

This  story  may  be  regarded  as  the  noblest  work  of  art 


THE   MESSAGE 

in  the  world.  It  reveals  the  sublimest  truths  in  the 
simplest  way.  It  suggests  the  infinite  love  of  the 
Eternal  Father  and  His  attitude  toward  the  two  kinds 
of  perversion  among  His  children,  and  appeals  to  the 
profoundest  depths  of  the  human  soul. 

The  reading  of  the  Scriptures  must  never  be  perfunc- 
tory or  merely  formal.  It  should  not  be  a  mere  authori- 
tative presentation  of  facts  or  proclamation  of  words. 
It  is  a  revelation  of  the  deepest  life  of  the  soul.  The 
reader  must  live  his  ideas  at  the  time  of  utterance.  He 
can  never  be  neutral  or  negative,  or  merely  a  mouth- 
piece. Truth  is  potent  in  proportion  as  it  is  lived,  and 
vocal  expression,  more  than  all  other  modes  of  expres- 
sion, is  the  revelation  of  the  present.  It  can  never  be 
recorded,  because  it  is  the  living  manifestation  of  the 
life  of  the  instant.  The  reader,  when  presenting  the 
words  of  the  Infinite,  can  only  reflect  them  from  his 
own  soul.  He  can  manifest  to  others  the  impressions 
made  upon  his  being.  But  when  one  soul  is  made  to 
feel  that  another  soul  is  hearing  a  message  from  the 
King  of  kings,  he  too  bows  his  head  and  hears  the  voice 
of  the  Infinite  speaking  in  his  own  breast. 


\ 


XIII.     LITERARY   SPIRIT  AND   VOCAL 
EXPRESSION 

THESE  literary  forms  are  not  artificial  inventions,  but 
are  unfolded  from  the  human  spirit  as  naturally  as  the 
flower  from  the  plant.  The  mode  of  expression  in  each 
form  is  primarily  determined  by  the  spirit  that  causes 
it,  and  is  necessary  from  the  nature  of  human  imagi- 
nation and  feeling. 

Another  determining  factor  is  the  nature  of  the  sub- 
ject.  One  theme  is  necessarily  didactic  ;  another  narra- 
tive ;  another  lyric  or  epic.  Still  another  element  is 
the  relation  of  the  speaker  to  his  audience  or  to  his  pur- 
pose. If  a  man  is  trying  to  rouse  or  move  his  fellow- 
men,  to  persuade  them  to  a  higher  course  of  action,  he 
is  necessarily  oratoric.  If  he  is  endeavoring  to  portray 
the  character  of  his  fellow-men,  to  represent  with  objec- 
tive truthfulness  human  action,  feeling,  or  character, 
he  must  necessarily  be  dramatic.  If  he  is  dealing  with 
a  truth  with  which  his  audience  is  unfamiliar,  against 
which  they  are  prejudiced  or  for  which  they  have  no 
preparatory  experience,  he  must  use  illustrations  and 
figures,  the  parable  or  the  allegory. 

These  forms  of  the  literary  spirit  are  so  organically 
related,  one  of  them  so  often  changes  to  another  in  the 
same  paragraph  or  even  sentence,  that  it  is  difficult  to 
define  them  in  words.  To  be  realized  they  must  be 
felt.  As  forms  of  art  they  can  be  realized  only  on  the 


134  THE  MESSAGE 

artistic  plane  and  by  the  action  of  the  artistic  faculty. 
There  is  need,  therefore,  of  some  artistic  means  of  real- 
izing and  interpreting  them. 

Whatever  method  is  chosen,  it  must  necessarily  be 
artistic.  To  realize  such  literary  forms  we  may  write  a 
story,  make  speeches,  compose  dramatic  dialogues,  or 
create  epic  situations  or  scenes.  Writing  is  important, 
but  especially  in  its  higher  aspects  it  is  difficult  if  not 
impossible  for  many.  Even  if  it  were  possible,  it  would 
still  require  some  sympathetic  method  to  prevent  mere 
formalism  or  critical  fastidiousness.  A  true  method 
must  cause  sympathetic  realization  of  the  living  actions 
of  the  faculties  of  the  man  in  each  form. 

The  best  method  of  realizing  the  true  nature  of  litera- 
ture for  one's  self,  or  of  interpreting  its  spirit  to  others,  is 
by  means  of  vocal  expression.  This  brings  into  activity 
the  artistic  faculties ;  it  is  the  use  of  man's  natural  and 
primary  languages.  More  than  all  other  forms  of 
artistic  endeavor,  vocal  expression  brings  into  har- 
monious activity  all  the  faculties  of  the  man,  and 
mirrors  his  whole  life.  It  genuinely  tests  thinking, 
awakens  imagination,  causes  the  right  sympathetic 
attitude,  and  requires  a  conception  of  truth  and  the 
right  emotional  or  sympathetic  response  to  it. 

Great  literature  implies  not  a  printed  page  but  the 
human  voice.  Accordingly,  the  one  great  need  in  the 
study  of  any  form  of  literature,  especially  of  the  highest 
and  most  exalted,  is  the  right  study  of  vocal  expression. 
This  prevents  a  cold  critical  estimate,  and  secures  a  deep 
realization.  A  man  who  cannot  read  aloud  and  inter- 
pret an  exalted  passage  of  literature  can  hardly  have 
the  profoundest  impression  of  its  nature. 


LITERARY  SPIRIT   AND   VOCAL  EXPRESSION     135 

On  the  other  hand,  without  thorough  study  of  litera- 
ture, vocal  expression  tends  to  become  artificial  and 
superficial.  The  study  of  both  must  necessarily  be 
united.  Separation  superficializes  and  degrades  vocal 
expression  on  the  one  hand,  and  on  the  other  prevents 
the  appreciation  of  the  real  nature  of  the  literature. 

The  adequate  rendering  of  the  narrative  spirit  re- 
quires interest.  The  story  is  a  transcript  of  life.  Hence 
the  events  must  be  relived.  If  the  story  be  treated  as 
abstract  and  not  a  part  of  life,  it  ceases  to  interest. 
Events  should  be  told  as  something  new.  Everything 
must  happen. 

The  didactic  spirit  requires  the  accentuation  of  think- 
ing. Next  to  life  itself,  thinking  is  the  joy  of  the  human 
heart.  The  reader  in  every  kind  of  passage  must 
accentuate  his  own  attention  and  dominate  that  of 
others.  He  must  not  only  think  himself  but  cause 
others  to  think. 

The  oratoric  spirit  implies  purpose.  It  suggests  one 
soul  trying  to  move  or  persuade  others.  It  implies 
greater  interest,  greater  attention,  and  more  passion 
than  either  narration  or  instruction,  because  oratory 
requires  a  soul  to  be  dominated  by  exalted  motive. 

The  allegoric  spirit  gives  life  and  personality  to  a 
thought,  truth,  or  fact.  It  requires  both  generalization 
and  intense  and  concrete  imaginative  conception.  It 
implies  deep  and  profound  thought,  and  perception  of 
the  complex  nature  of  the  human  soul.  The  allegoric 
paints  the  story  with  didactic  and  dramatic  elements. 
Its  vocal  expression  requires  breadth  of  thinking,  united 
with  intense  imaginative  activity. 

The  lyric  spirit  is  the  intense,  personal  realization  of 


136  THE   MESSAGE 

a  single  situation  or  idea,  and  implies  the  existence  of 
deep  emotion.  It  must  make  up  for  the  movement 
of  narration  and  dramatic  action  by  intensity  of  gaze. 
The  rhythm  is  a  direct  pulsation  of  feeling;  is  con- 
trolled by  subtle  discrimination  of  ideas.  The  emotion 
in  a  lyric  is  sustained  and  nearly  always  personal. 
True  worship  is  always  lyric.  The  soul  must  feel  for 
its  own  sake,  and  must  come  into  relations  with  the 
infinite  in  a  certain  sense  alone. 

The  dramatic  spirit  is  the  expression  of  one  man's 
realization  of  the  truth  as  seen  from  the  point  of  view 
of  a  fellow-being.  It  gives  truth  and  expression  in 
relation  to  character.  It  implies  an  identification  of  the 
reader  with  each  person  speaking.  He  must  himself 
become  so  creative  as  to  see  things  from  the  point  of 
view  of  some  member  of  the  race. 

The  epic  spirit  is  the  most  exalted  form  of  poetry. 
It  implies  intense  realization  of  human  experience  from 
an  ideal  point  of  view.  The  reader  must  become  a 
participant  in  the  scene  portrayed ;  and  events,  charac- 
ters, and  thoughts  must  be  imagined  by  him. 

The  lyric  implies  personal  realization.  The  dramatic 
is  the  realization  of  the  individual  character  of  men ; 
but  the  epic  is  the  typical  ideal,  and  is  its  apprehension 
from  the  point  of  view  of  the  race,  or  the  universal 
ideal  of  mankind. 


Ill 

THE   TECHNIQUE 


XIV.     RHYTHMIC   ACTIONS   OF   MIND 

HAVING  studied  the  literary  forms  of  the  Bible  and 
observed  the  variety  of  human  experiences  causing  them, 
let  us  next  turn  to  the  actions  of  the  mind  in  thinking 
and  feeling  and  to  the  modulations  of  the  voice  by 
which  these  actions  are  expressed.  A  general  concep- 
tion of  the  Message  is  not  sufficient.  Character  may 
be  appreciated,  and  yet  have  little  or  no  effect  upon 
expression  through  the  voice.  Every  idea  must  be  con- 
ceived and  every  experience  felt ;  every  thought  must 
be  imagined  and  every  situation  relived.  But  this  is  not 
enough  ;  the  vocal  language  must  be  mastered  before 
the  voice  will  be  naturally  modulated  and  directly  and 
truthfully  express  thought  and  feeling. 

Vocal  expression  is  the  revelation,  and  more  or  less 
the  spontaneous  effect  of  thinking,  command  over  which 
must  be  first  acquired.  Mechanical  rules  and  imitation 
interfere  with  the  direct  effect  of  thinking  and  feeling 
upon  their  natural  agents.  Therefore  we  must  search 
for  laws  and  principles  grounded  in  the  action  of  our. 
own  thinking  and  learn  to  obey  them. 

All  mental  actions,  such  as  concentration,  vision,  dis- 
crimination, change  in  point  of  view,  the  methodic  choice 
of  objects  of  attention,  and  grasp  of  situation,  can  be 
consciously  accentuated  by  the  mind  itself.  Attention 
can  be  prolonged,  thinking  made  more  intense  and 
more  logical. 

139 


140  THE   TECHNIQUE 

In  order  to  accentuate  any  mental  action,  however, 
especially  for  the  purpose  of  expression,  it  is  necessary 
for  us  to  have  a  language.  An  idea  or  feeling  is  a 
spirit  in  prison  until  some  linguistic  door  is  open,  and 
words  are  not  the  only  nor  the  most  immediate  linguistic 
agents  of  mental  activity.  The  primary  channels  for 
the  manifestation  of  thought  and  emotion  are  the  natural 
languages.  At  any  rate,  so  close  are  the  natural  signs 
to  the  mental  actions  they  express,  that  the  immediate 
accentuation  of  the  process  of  thought  is  greatly  aided 
by  the  responsiveness  of  the  natural  languages.  As  a 
tree  requires  leaves  in  spring,  so  do  the  awakening  of 
the  imagination  and  the  spontaneous,  living  energy  of 
the  mind  require  free  expression  through  voice  and 
body.  As  the  accurate  use  of  words  brings  clearness 
and  definiteness  to  thought,  so  the  mastery  of  voice  modu- 
lation will  bring  fulness  of  life,  vigor  of  concentration, 
and  decision  in  the  sequence  of  ideas.  The  finding  of 
the  right  word  is  usually  the  finding  of  the  right  idea, 
and  the  securing  of  a  right  vocal  expression  is  primarily 
the  securing  of  a  profounder  apprehension  of  that  idea. 
Thus  the  problem  of  improving  vocal  expression  depends 
primarily  upon  the  ability  to  accentuate  the  elemental 
actions  of  the  mind,  at  the  same  time  developing  a  sense 
of  vocal  form.  Vocal  expression  is  thinking  aloud. 

The  primary  characteristics  of  thinking  are  the  con- 
centration of  the  mind  on  one  idea,  and  then  a  simple 
leap  of  the  mind  to  another,  where  there  is  renewed 
attention,  and  so  on.  That  is  to  say,  all  thinking  is  pri- 
marily rhythmic.  If  we  observe  the  actions  of  the  mind 
in  thinking  or  in  recalling  some  interesting  scene,  we 
find  the  mind  proceeding  by  a  series  of  pulsations.  Atten- 


RHYTHMIC  ACTIONS  OF  MIND  14! 

tion  seizes  upon  one  subject,  and  then  leaps  to  another 
and  another.  We  find  this  characteristic  even  of  musing, 
where  the  mind  drifts  passively  ;  but  in  more  consecutive 
thought  we  hold  our  attention  longer  upon  each  idea, 
and  exercise  more  care  in  choosing  the  next,  or  exercise 
critical  oversight  directing  our  thoughts  along  a  definite 
path.  To  improve  delivery,  accordingly,  it  is  first  neces- 
sary to  study,  to  accentuate,  and  to  reveal  by  the  action 
of  the  voice,  this  rhythmic  pulsation  of  the  mind  in 
thinking. 

This  rhythmic  mental  action  is  consistent  with  the 
universal  law  of  nature  —  force  everywhere  in  nature 
acts  by  pulsations.  Nature  is  rhythmic.  The  bird  flies 
rhythmically;  the  stream  flows  rhythmically.  The 
dropping  of  water,  the  wind,  the  storm,  all  exhibit 
action  and  reaction,  alternations  of  activity  and  pas- 
sivity ;  and  in  the  action  and  reaction  there  is  always 
proportion.  Day  and  night,  summer  and  winter,  the 
stars  in  their  rhythmic  orbits,  all  obey  the  same  great 
law.  The  alternation  is  especially  manifest  in  all  or- 
ganic life.  The  heart  beats  rhythmically  ;  the  lungs 
breathe  rhythmically.  Even  the  subconscious  pro- 
cesses of  the  organism  are  always  rhythmic.  Without 
rhythm  there  is  no  life. 

The  rhythmic  action  of  the  mind  in  thinking  is  no 
exceptional  fact,  and  to  develop  any  form  of  expression 
this  rhythm  must  be  accentuated  arid  expressed  through 
the  voice. 

To  become  conscious  of  the  rhythm  of  thinking,  read 
the  prayer  of  Habakkuk  (Hab.  iii.  2-19)  slowly,  in- 
tensely realizing  each  idea.  Concentrate  the  mind  with 
great  vigor  upon  each  successive  idea,  and  give  every 


142  THE  TECHNIQUE 

consecutive  phrase  with  one  movement  of  the  voice,  or 
only  one  point  of  definite  accentuation,  and  note  the 
effect.  Each  phrase  should  be  given  also  with  unity. 
If  the  reader  keeps  himself  aloof  from  the  passage, 
rendering  it  with  anxiety  lest  he  may  interfere  with  its 
intensity  or  with  any  kind  of  external  reverence,  the 
result  will  be  unimpressive.  On  the  contrary,  if  his 
mind  seizes  the  ideas  energetically,  thought  and  feeling 
move  together  with  strong  rhythmic  pulsations. 


XV.     RHYTHMIC   MODULATIONS   OF  VOICE 

WHAT  effect  do  these  primary  actions  of  the  mind 
have  upon  the  modulations  of  the  voice?  Expression 
also  becomes  rhythmic  in  correspondence  with  the 
rhythmic  life  of  the  mind.  Thinking  is  cause,  expres- 
sion is  effect ;  and  if  the  cause  be  rhythmic,  the  modula- 
tions of  the  voice,  when  free  from  constriction,  must  be 
rhythmic  also. 

The  successive  concentrations  and  progressions  of 
the  mind  cause  alternations  of  silence  and  speech.  In 
natural  conversation  or  reading,  "  silence  is  the  father 
of  speech,"  and  there  is  a  rhythmic  proportion  and  unity 
between  silence,  or  preparation,  and  expression,  or 
speech.  In  silence  we  take,  and  in  speech  we  give, 
each  successive  idea. 

Mere  silence  and  speech  may  succeed  each  other 
but  in  chaotic  and  unrhythmic  fashion.  It  is  only  when 
we  receive  in  silence  the  impression  that  directly  causes 
the  expression,  only  when  the  pause  and  the  speech 
following  it  have  the  relation  of  cause  and  effect,  that 
rhythm  ensues.  When  the  mind,  as  is  the  case  with 
poor  readers,  tries  to  take  a  whole  sentence  at  once,  or 
to  give  the  words  as  words,  or  even  to  present  the 
thought  abstractly,  the  tongue  merely  pronounces 
words,  and  the  effect  is  mechanical.  Such  wholesale 
thinking  violates  the  law  of  rhythm,  and  destroys  ex- 
pression. No  effect  is  produced  upon  the  breathing 

143 


144  THE   TECHNIQUE 

and  the  body.  In  proportion  to  the  domination  of  the 
rhythm  of  the  mind  over  breathing,  vocal  action,  and  all 
the  elements  of  expression,  will  be  the  genuineness  of 
all  vocal  expression.  Where  there  is  absence  of  rhythm, 
there  is  vagueness  of  thought  and  emotion  and  chaos  in 
expression. 

The  deepest  and  most  sublime  expression  must  be  the 
most  rhythmic.  Hence,  in  the  interpretation  of  the 
Scriptures,  without  the  dignified  pulse-beat,  depth  of 
realization  cannot  be  attained  or  revealed.  No  more 
important  step  in  the  development  of  vocal  interpreta- 
tion can  be  found  than  the  mastery  of  rhythm. 

Rhythm  may  be  manifested  in  all  the  elements  of 
vocal  expression,  but  the  primary  elements  are  pause  and 
touch.  They  directly  express  the  alternation  between 
preparation  and  manifestation,  impression  and  expres- 
sion, between  cause  and  effect. 

i.  Pause. — To  accentuate  thought  we  must  think 
idea  after  idea,  and  the  mind  must  have  time  to  concen- 
trate itself  upon  each  centre  of  attention.  The  general 
purposes  and  relations  of  an  idea  are  present  in  the 
mind,  but  they  are  in  the  background.  The  more  defi- 
nitely the  mind  is  concentrated,  the  truer  will  be  the 
feeling,  and  the  clearer,  more  adequate,  and  natural  the 
expression. 

The  first  requisite  of  all  expression  is  attention,  and 
attention  necessarily  involves  silence.  Expression  must 
come  out  of  this  silence  as  naturally  and  rhythmically  as 
one  swing  of  the  pendulum  follows  another.  The  recep- 
tion, the  realization,  the  living  of  each  idea  must  cause 
its  manifestation. 

Pause  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  supreme  difficulties 


RHYTHMIC  MODULATIONS   OF   VOICE  145 

in  elocution.  The  reader  or  speaker  must  learn  to 
feel  the  significance  of  silence.  The  mind  cannot  take 
in  a  great  deal  at  once.  Psychology  has  proved  that  it 
takes  time  to  receive  the  impression  of  even  a  single 
idea.  Let  the  poorest  reader  give  his  mind  time  to 
picture  and  to  apprehend  each  idea,  and  an  improve- 
ment in  his  reading  will  be  seen  at  once.  Reading  is 
an  exercise  of  thinking.  To  direct  attention  to  phrase- 
ology is  not  only  useless  but  actually  injurious.  Let 
the  reader,  at  the  very  first  of  all  his  exercises,  be  sure 
that  he  genuinely  thinks,  that  his  attention  is  intense 
and  vigorous,  that  his  mind  moves  from  idea  to  idea, 
and  that  he  gives  significance  to  silence. 

One  great  fault  in  reading,  and  one  of  which  nearly 
every  one  is  afraid,  is  hesitation.  Hesitation  is  not 
pause.  Pause  is  an  effect  of  mental  activity,  but  hesita- 
tion indicates  the  absence  of  mental  action.  Hesita- 
tion implies  failure  to  get  the  right  word,  or  a  loss  of 
the  continuity  or  association  of  ideas,  or  it  is  caused  by 
uttering  words  before  they  are  filled  with  meaning,  the 
mind  thus  being  left  in  a  blank.  Hesitation  shows  that 
the  reader,  having  neglected  to  pause  at  the  right  place, 
is  now  compelled  to  stop  at  the  wrong  time.  The 
remedy  for  hesitation  is  to  bring  silence  into  right 
relations  with  thought  and  speech,  to  accentuate  the 
rhythm  of  thinking,  and  to  use  silence  as  an  expressive 
agency. 

Pause  is  the  first  remedy  for  the  monotonous  and 
meaningless  calling  of  words  so  common  in  the  reading 
of  the  Scriptures.  A  false  reverence  for  the  mere  words 
sometimes  apparently  prevents  the  reader  from  identi- 
fying himself  genuinely  with  the  thought  and  situation. 


146  THE  TECHNIQUE 

It  is  not  the  words  that  are  holy,  —  it  is  the  meaning, 
the  thought.  There  is  nothing  sacred  about  the 
letters,  the  print,  or  the  paper ;  it  is  the  message  that 
is  sacred.  The  soul's  realization  of  ideas  and  truth 
causes  reverence. 

There  is  a  physical  as  well  as  a  mental  necessity  for 
pause.  The  reader  must  breathe,  not  only  to  make 
voice,  but  also  to  sustain  life.  But  he  who  pauses 
merely  to  breathe  has  no  control  over  his  vocal  expres- 
sion. The  rhythmic  life  of  the  mind  must  be  so  vig- 
orous that  the  rhythm  of  thinking  determines  the 
rhythm  of  breathing.  The  apprehension  of  each  suc- 
cessive idea  not  only  causes  emotion  but  also  establishes 
the  conditions  of  voice.  Taking  breath  too  seldom  is  a 
universal  fault  of  readers  and  speakers,  but  he  who 
first  gets  the  power  to  accentuate  the  rhythm  of  his 
thinking  and  finds  the  expressive  value  of  silence  will 
have  no  trouble.  He  will  not  find  his  throat  cramped 
or  be  weary  when  he  has  finished,  but  the  life  of  breath- 
ing will  itself  be  stimulated  and  he  will  become  freer, 
even  in  the  actions  of  his  body,  as  well  as  more  spon- 
taneous in  feeling  and  more  at  home  with  his  hearers. 

Pause  has  many  functions  in  expression.  It  shows 
the  connection  of  ideas.  For  example,  in  Luke  ii.  16, 
where  the  shepherds  are  spoken  of  as  finding  "Mary 
and  Joseph,  and  the  babe  lying  in  the  manger,"  if  no 
pause  be  made  before  the  reference  to  the  child,  the 
lying  in  the  manger  may  apply  to  all  three.  The  pic- 
ture of  the  babe  in  the  manger  should  be  one  in  oppo- 
sition to  Mary  and  Joseph,  and  this  complete  picture 
is  the  climax  or  centre  of  attention  to  the  shepherds 
and  to  us. 


RHYTHMIC  MODULATIONS   OF  VOICE          147 

We  find  two  kinds  of  pauses,  —  the  ordinary  rhyth- 
mic pause,  and  what  has  been  named  the  emphatic 
pause.  An  emphatic  pause  may  be  introduced  even  in 
the  centre  of  a  phrase  before  or  after  the  most  impor- 
tant word.  In  the  sentence,  "  I  am  the  door  of  the 
sheep  "  (John  x.  7),  by  making  a  long  pause  after  the 
word  "  door  "  and  subordinating  the  next  three  words, 
we  make  the  thought  far  more  impressive,  and  have  an 
illustration  of  the  emphatic  pause.  In  reading  "he 
that  entereth  in  by  the  door  is  the  shepherd  of  the 
sheep  "  (John  x.  2),  a  pause  after  the  word  "  shepherd  " 
may  be  both  emphatic  and  rhythmic. 

Practise  these  and  other  pauses,  and  then  read  the 
whole  passage  (John  x.  1-18).  Accentuate  the  definite 
concentration  of  the  mind  upon  each  idea,  and  stay 
attention  until  a  vigorous  impression  is  obtained.  Give 
time  to  each  successive  concentration,  and  justify  the 
length  of  pause  by  the  force  and  variation  of  the  ex- 
pression that  follows. 

Read  some  passage  in  the  ordinary  way  (for  example, 
Matt.  xii.  18-21),  and  then  read  it  mentally,  realizing 
each  idea,  extending  the  powers  and  increasing  the 
touch.  Read  it  as  impressively  as  possible,  and  note 
the  differences. 

Read  an  emphatic  passage,  such  as  Psalm  Ixxxiv., 
many  times,  noting  whether  the  intense  conception  of 
each  idea  causes  breathing  and  establishes  right  con- 
ditions for  tone. 

Contrast  a  passage  containing  a  simple  explanation 
with  a  weighty  statement  (e.g.  Is.  i.  I  with  Is.  i.  2),  and 
note  the  greater  necessity  for  pause  in  the  second. 

In  some  emphatic  passage  (e.g.  John   xiv.    1-4  or 


148  THE  TECHNIQUE 

Rom.  viii.  i-u,)  use  silence  as  a  means  of  making 
salient  as  many  ideas  as  are  consistent  with  the  unity 
and  progression  of  the  thought. 

Take  an  important  passage  (e.g.  Ps.  viii.  or  Matt.  v. 
1-9),  and  show  the  staying  of  attention  upon  important 
ideas  by  the  emphatic  pause. 

2.  Touch.  —  As  pause  indicates  preparation  and  atten- 
tion, so  touch  denotes  the  location  of  the  centre  of  the 
idea.  Pause  shows  the  concentration,  and  touch  the 
volitional  assertion  of  attention ;  together  they  show 
the  rhythmic  alternation  between  reception  and  manifes- 
tation, impression  and  expression. 

Pause  and  touch  are  in  proportion  and  rhythmic  unity. 
The  length  of  the  pause  determines  the  intensity  of  the 
touch ;  the  degree  of  realization  is  shown  in  the  vigor  of 
the  expression.  Pause  is  the  realization  or  cause,  and 
touch  shows  the  effect. 

Touch  is  a  primary  vocal  response,  or  modulation. 
It  reveals  control  of  the  breath  and  the  organism,  com- 
mand of  the  words,  and  possession  of  the  means  of 
expression,  also  control  of  feeling,  as  well  as  concentra- 
tion of  thought. 

Touch,  denoting  as  it  does  the  volitional  command  of 
conditions,  is  the  least  changeable  of  all  the  modulations 
of  the  voice.  The  different  kinds  of  stress  which  have 
been  indicated  frequently  —  medium  stress  for  one 
species  of  emotion,  radical  stress  for  another,  and 
thorough  stress  for  a  third  —  are  really  faults.  These 
different  sons  of  stress  are  found  occasionally  in  life, 
but  they  are  abnormal  and  expressive  of  weakness. 
Dignity  uses  a  definite  and  decided  touch  even  in  the 
most  reverent  and  intense  emotions.  Feeling  is  nor- 


RHYTHMIC   MODULATIONS   OF   VOICE          149 

mally  shown  by  tone-color  and  the  modulations  of  tex- 
ture. Touch  manifests  will  or  control;  and  emotion, 
to  be  noble,  must  be  controlled. 

Touch  is  extremely  important  in  the  reading  of  the 
Scriptures,  on  account  of  the  tendency  of  speakers  and 
readers  to  drift  in  feeling. 

A  decided  touch,  expressing  a  definite  and  vigorous 
attention  of  the  mind,  is  the  best  remedy,  as  it  is  the 
best  preventive,  of  the  so-called  "  ministerial  tune." 
Touch  does  not  interfere  with  change  of  texture  and 
tone-color  in  the  most  exalted  experience.  Inflections 
change  with  every  idea ;  the  color  with  every  situation 
and  with  every  transition  in  the  attitude  of  the  mind 
or  feeling;  but  a  decided  touch  does  not  hinder  their 
free  employment.  In  fact,  the  more  decided  the  touch, 
the  freer  will  be  the  thinking  and  feeling  and  the  use  of 
all  the  means  of  expression. 

Pause  and  touch  must  be  developed  together,  their 
alternation  being  the  basis  of  rhythm  and  naturalness. 

Of  all  forms  of  reading,  that  which  is  highest  must 
be  most  rhythmic.  In  the  interpretation  of  the  Scrip- 
tures, without  the  dignified  pulse  beat  the  depth  of  the 
soul's  realization  cannot  be  revealed. 

Accentuate  the  concentration  of  mind  (e.g.  in  Ps.  cii. 
25-27  or  Ps.  cxlvii.  2-5)  and  show  each  centre  of 
attention  by  such  a  decided  touch  as  will  indicate  its 
importance  and  justify  long  pauses  and  contemplative 
attention. 

Accentuate  by  an  easy,  reposeful,  but  decided  touch 
the  dignity  of  a  character  or  the  weight  of  a  thought 
(John  xiv.  1-4;  Ps.  xlvi.  9-10). 

Give  passages  full  of  great  passion  and  excitement, 


150  THE  TECHNIQUE 

using  touch  as  a  means  of  showing  intensity  of  feeling 
and  control  over  it  (Ps.  cxvi. ;  2  Sam.  xviii.  31-33). 

Read  a  passage  first  with  the  ordinary  colloquial 
touch  and  pause,  and  then  accentuate  pause  and  touch 
in  natural  proportions,  so  as  to  give  greater  weight 
(Ps.  xxiii.). 

3.  Phrasing.  —  Contrast  conversation  with  ordinary 
reading,  and  you  can  easily  note  marked  differences.  In 
conversation  words  seem  to  be  gathered  into  groups,  ac- 
cording to  the  centres  of  attention ;  while  in  poor  reading, 
words  appear  to  follow  each  other  in  a  monotonous  but 
disconnected  stream.  Whenever  the  mind  is  concen- 
trated upon  an  idea,  the  words  belonging  to  it  are  gathered 
into  a  group,  as  filings  gather  around  a  magnet.  Vocal 
modulations  and  pauses  in  conversation  are  infinitely 
varied,  and  rarely,  if  ever,  misplaced.  But  in  ordinary 
reading,  there  is  a  tendency  to  remain  upon  one  pitch ; 
word  follows  word  with  little  relation  to  thinking.  The 
poor  reader  appears  to  pause  only  for  lack  of  breath. 
His  impression  does  not  precede  and  determine  expres- 
sion ;  he  seems  at  times  not  to  think  at  all  or  to  get  the 
idea  after  he  has  pronounced  the  word.  With  such  a 
reader  the  audience  must  receive  the  idea  after  the 
speaking  of  the  phrase;  but  in  conversation  the  ideas 
of  the  speaker  are  taken  before  the  words  are  given. 

It  is  the  influence  of  spontaneous  thinking  in  conver- 
sation that  gathers  the  words  into  groups  and  causes 
the  various  modulations.  Intelligent  reading  must  show 
the  power  of  thought  as  much  as  does  conversation, 
hence  the  pauses  should  be  as  long.  The  reader  must 
have  time  to  penetrate  through  the  words  of  each  phrase 
and  to  realize  the  ideas,  as  in  conversation,  or  even  a 


RHYTHMIC  MODULATIONS  OF  VOICE  151 

longer  time,  on  account  of  the  greater  dignity  and  weight 
of  the  thought. 

There  are  many  elements  in  phrasing.  Inflection  and 
change  of  pitch  unite  in  a  conversational  form,  but  pos- 
sibly the  most  notable  and  elemental  are  pause  and 
touch.  The  grouping  of  words  belongs  to  the  rhyth- 
mic modulations  of  the  voice,  and  the  fundamental 
principle  of  phrasing  is  the  fact  that  the  rhythm  of 
thinking  must  dominate  the  rhythm  of  pronunciation. 

Mechanical  rules  give  little  or  no  assistance  in  phras- 
ing. Such  artificial  rules  as  these  have  often  been  given : 
"  Pause  before  a  preposition,  before  a  relative  pronoun, 
before  a  participle  introducing  a  phrase,"  and  many 
others.  But  such  rules,  though  containing  a  truth,  are 
too  superficial  to  be  of  any  advantage.  They  are  simply 
mechanical  directions,  and  do  harm  by  turning  the  at- 
tention of  the  mind  to  words  rather  than  to  the  true 
centre  of  attention.  Pause,  touch,  or  any  other  of  the 
vocal  modulations,  can  be  mastered  only  by  a  direct 
study  of  the  process  of  thinking.  Rules  founded  upon 
the  mechanism  of  language,  or  grammar,  seem  plaus- 
ible, but  in  practice  will  be  found  inadequate.  In  con- 
versation the  place  of  the  pause  is  not  determined  by 
grammatical  construction,  but  by  the  conception  and 
attention  given  to  each  idea.  It  is  not  words,  but  think- 
ing, not  grammar  or  rhetoric,  but  logic,  or  the  laws  of 
thought,  which  determine  phrasing. 

To  prove  this,  note  that  every  one  phrases  differently, 
and  that  the  same  person  in  speaking  the  same  sentence 
at  different  times  will  express  it  differently,  according 
to  his  emphasis,  attention,  or  earnestness.  His  purpose, 
and  his  sense  of  his  auditor's  degree  of  familiarity  with 


152  THE   TECHNIQUE 

the  thought,  will  also  change  his  rhythm  and  phrasing. 
In  every  case  the  action  of  the  mind  is  the  determining 
factor.  The  voice  makes  far  more  pauses  than  are  ever 
placed  in  print,  while  occasionally  there  is  a  pause  in 
print  not  observed  in  conversation.  The  two  words, 
"Yes,  indeed,"  have  a  comma  between  them,  but  no 
pause  is  given  in  conversation. 

When  we  examine  the  relation  of  ideas  to  words,  we 
find  a  certain  imperfection  in  verbal  language ;  that 
which  is  specific  in  the  mind  requires  many  words,  and 
even  phrases,  to  suggest  it.  Rarely  is  a  complete  pic- 
ture of  the  mind  expressed  by  one  word.  In  conver- 
sation, "in  the  morning"  is  spoken  with  as  much  unity 
as  the  one  word  "notwithstanding."  Such  phrases  as 
"the  early  morning  light,"  "the  little  forest  stream," 
"the  beautiful  black  horse,"  have  but  one  centre  of  at- 
tention in  conversation.  The  fact  that  a  whole  phrase 
contains  only  one  idea,  has  caused  such  a  group  to  be 
called  an  "oratoric  word."  All  the  words  standing  for 
an  idea  must  be  gathered  into  one  group ;  there  must 
be  a  unity  of  the  words  to  express  the  unity  and  con- 
centration of  the  mind.  Vocal  expression  requires  the 
accurate  pronunciation  of  the  words,  not  as  an  end, 
but  as  a  means.  The  voice  modulations  are  determined 
directly  by  the  action  of  the  mind  back  of  the  words. 
They  form  a  distinct  language,  deeper  than  pronunci- 
ation. Words  may  be  correctly  pronounced,  yet  given 
in  such  a  way  as  to  confuse  the  hearer  as  to  their 
meaning. 

Pausing  and  phrasing,  though  often  confused,  are  not 
the  same.  There  may  be  an  emphatic  pause  in  the 
very  middle  of  a  phrase;  such  a  pause,  in  fact,  is 


RHYTHMIC  MODULATIONS   OF  VOICE          153 

especially  important  in  the  reading  of  the  Scriptures. 
The  emphatic  pause  may  come  also  before  a  word  ; 
for  example,  in  Mark  i.  35,  "  and  there  prayed,"  a  pause 
before  "  prayed  "  gives  added  intensity  and  strength. 

The  union  of  pause  with  touch  forms  what  may  be 
called  rhythmic  emphasis,  which  is  of  great  importance. 
In  John  xxi.  17,  if  we  read  "  Feed  my  sheep"  with  a 
pause  after  "  feed,"  with  a  distinct  touch  upon  this  and 
the  word  "sheep,"  great  emphasis,  tenderness,  and 
dignity  may  be  given  to  the  words  of  the  Master.  In 
the  same  way,  "  and  it  fell :  and  great  was  the  fall 
thereof,"  at  the  close  of  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  (Matt, 
vii.  27),  when  read  with  slow  movement,  with  change  of 
key  and  tone-color,  long  pauses  and  vigorous  touch 
upon  the  central  words,  can  be  made  a  strong  climax  of 
the  whole  sermon.  In  both  clauses  long  pauses  are 
found  after  " and,"  " fell,"  "great,"  and  "fall."  Thus 
we  see  that  the  emphatic  pause  is  more  important  than 
phrasing ;  that  it  expresses  no  mere  relations  of  words, 
but  the  deep  thinking  and  feeling  of  the  reader.  Phras- 
ing is  the  subordination  of  words  to  thinking,  —  the 
relation  of  words  to  the  underlying  idea  which  they 
imperfectly  symbolize.  Pause  is  of  more  moment  still, 
for  it  indicates  the  speaker's  relation  to  each  idea,  the 
rhythm  that  brings  all  the  elements  of  delivery,  includ- 
ing phrasing,  into  unity.  Phrasing  is  the  result  of  the 
rhythm  of  thinking  upon  words,  the  gathering  of  words 
into  relation  to  the  central  idea,  while  pausing  shows 
the  continuity  of  the  thinking.  Thinking  is  never 
expressed  by  a  continuous  stream  of  words  without 
pauses.  Pausing  and  phrasing  both  result  from  the 
natural  sequence  of  ideas.  The  reader's  estimate  of 


154  THE  TECHNIQUE 

the  dignity  and  weight  of  his  ideas  will  determine 
the  number  and  length  of  his  pauses.  The  conception 
of  the  ideas  will  gather  the  words  into  groups,  according 
to  the  mental  action. 

The  development  of  phrasing,  like  the  development 
of  pausing  and  touch,  must  be  associated  with  the 
accentuation  of  the  rhythmic  processes  of  thinking,  but 
certain  mental  actions  are  especially  helpful. 

One  is  the  development  of  the  pictorial  action  of  the 
mind.  Ideas  must  be  seen  and  felt ;  they  must  be  so 
vividly  conceived  that  they  will  dominate  words.  Bad 
phrasing  results  from  lack  of  mental  pictures ;  but  where 
the  mental  image  is  definitely  conceived,  there  is  a 
tendency  to  establish  right  phrasing. 

The  definite  concentration  of  the  mind  and  the  ac- 
centuation of  rhythm  will  also  naturally  result  in  the 
improvement  of  phrasing.  The  observance  of  all  the 
laws  which  have  influenced  pausing,  —  the  receiving  of 
the  impression  first,  and  the  giving  of  a  definite  touch 
to  express  the  conception  of  the  mind,  —  will  naturally 
result  in  right  phrasing. 

The  union  of  pause  and  touch  and  the  necessity  of 
phrasing  are  especially  emphasized  in  rendering  a 
spiritual  passage.  In  Psalm  Ixv.,  for  example,  the 
pictures  should  be  vivid,  the  feeling  intense,  and  the 
words  gathered  into  small  groups  in  response  to 
the  thought.  The  pauses  should  be  long,  and  the 
touches  definite.  We  are  thus  able  to  realize  and  ac- 
centuate the  imaginative,  contemplative,  and  emotional 
spirit,  and  in  this  way  we  can  apply  a  passage  personally 
to  ourselves. 

While  phrasing  seems  to  be  the  simplest  of  all  the 


RHYTHMIC  MODULATIONS  OF   VOICE          155 

actions  of  the  mind  in  reading,  even  able  scholars  fre- 
quently accentuate  little  words  and  totally  confuse  the 
rhythm  of  thinking.  This  results  from  a  failure  to  give 
the  phrase  its  proper  unity.  Some  such  passages  as 
Job  xxxviii.  i-n  should  be  selected  for  practice,  and 
the  eye  and  the  mind  so  employed  that  each  phrase 
is  grasped  and  the  idea  vividly  conceived.  Then  each 
group  of  words  will  be  expressed  with  unity  of  impulse 
and  decided  touch  upon  the  central  point.  The  reader 
who  wishes  really  to  feel  the  nature  of  rhythm  must 
persevere  in  the  practice  of  such  exercises. 

The  reader  should  also  acquire  the  flexibility  of  voice 
associated  with  rhythm.  Select  any  stirring  psalm,  such 
as  the  one  hundred  and  fourteenth,  for  instance,  and 
conceive  with  vigor  each  mental  picture,  accentuate  the 
rhythmic  action  of  the  mind,  and  subordinate  breathing 
and  pronunciation  and  everything  else  to  apprehension 
of  the  successive  ideas  and  the  mental  action  involved  in 
passing  from  one  centre  of  attention  to  another. 

Read  Psalm  cxxv.  1-3.  Intensely  think  and  vividly 
conceive  each  idea  or  object  of  attention,  and  give  the 
words  standing  for  it  such  unity  and  force  of  utterance 
as  to  accentuate  the  rhythm  of  thinking  and  reveal  the 
action  of  the  mind  to  others. 


XVI.     DISCRIMINATION    IN   THINKING 

IF  we  observe  our  mental  action  further,  we  find  that 
in  passing  from  one  centre  of  attention  to  another,  a 
new  picture  is  created  or  a  new  point  of  view  adopted. 
All  thinking  contains  an  element  of  discrimination. 
The  mind  at  each  centre  of  attention  has  free  creative 
activity  and  -finds  something  new,  or  progress  in  think- 
ing is  impossible.  Thus  we  find  not  only  a  rhythmic 
element  in  our  thinking  but  changes  in  each  successive 
mental  concept. 

This  discriminative  action  is  of  great  importance  in 
vocal  expression.  In  proportion  to  the  mind's  power 
to  make  such  changes  quickly  and  definitely  will  be 
the  command  over  attention,  the  ability  to  make  distinc- 
tions and  salient  contrasts,  and  the  power  to  accentuate 
and  express  the  vigorous  life  of  the  mind. 

The  worst  and  most  common  of  all  faults  in  reading 
is  possibly  sameness  of  pitch,  caused  by  sameness  in 
thinking.  The  free  discursive  action  of  the  mind  is  in 
some  way  limited.  The  creative  instinct  which  presents 
a  new  picture  spontaneously  with  every  object  of  atten- 
tion, which  realizes  imaginatively  each  idea,  is  to  some 
extent  fettered. 

There  are  various  ways  in  which  the  freedom  of  mind 
is  fettered.  The  mind  may  grasp  broad  relations  of 
ideas  so  strongly  as  to  limit  the  free  sequence  of  dis- 
criminations and  pictorial  realization.  There  may  be  a 

156 


DISCRIMINATION   IN   THINKING  157 

disposition  to  eliminate  rhythm,  and  with  it  the  listener's 
attention,  because  without  variation  of  ideas  attention  is 
necessarily  weakened.  In  some  sense  this  lack  of 
definite  realization  of  each  idea  lies  behind  all  faults  in 
reading.  It  is  present  in  all  indefinite  or  inadequate 
thinking.  The  expression  sinks  to  mere  monotonous 
drifting  as  a  result  of  the  almost  universal  tendency  to 
grasp  ideas  by  wholesale  or  to  take  an  external  attitude 
toward  truth. 

The  ninety-first  psalm  is  one  of  the  most  subjective  and 
subtle  of  the  whole  collection.  The  reader  may  read  it 
in  a  drifting  monotone,  and  feel  that  in  this  way  he 
makes  it  impressive.  Let  him  try  it  in  this  way,  and 
then  let  him  study  the  definite  picture  which  each  sepa- 
rate phrase  implies,  keeping  his  imagination  active,  and 
he  will  find  that  his  emotions  are  surprisingly  stimulated 
and  that  the  passage  has  become  far  more  impressive. 

The  reader  may  at  first  hardly  see  any  discriminations 
in  some  parallelisms.  The  change  in  verse  i  is  in  the 
point  of  view.  The  first  clause  is  a  general  statement, 
but  the  second  is  a  realization  of  experience,  the  result 
of  dwelling  in  the  "  secret  place." 

There  are,  however,  much  finer  discriminations  than 
any  shown  in  the  parallelisms.  "  Refuge  "  and  "  fortress  " 
(v.  2)  are  not  the  same.  The  mental  action  in  realizing  the 
two  ideas  is  different,  the  feeling  is  different,  and  a  differ- 
ence shown  by  a  change  in  pitch  with  other  modulations. 
Although  the  second  clause  is  parallel  in  thought  with 
the  first,  the  point  of  view  is  different,  the  realization 
more  personal.  The  emphasis  upon  the  word  "  God  " 
changes  from  the  impersonal  and  the  abstract  to  the 
conscious  intelligent  protector;  the  other  is  a  mere 


158  THE  TECHNIQUE 

"fortress"  or  place  of  "refuge."  The  "snare  of  the 
fowler  "  and  the  "  noisome  pestilence  "  are  widely  apart 
in  any  genuine  realization,  both  in  imagination  and  feel- 
ing. In  verse  4  the  mind  is  more  likely  to  regard  the 
act  of  God's  covering  "with  his  pinions,"  while  in  the 
next  clause  the  thought  of  "under  his  wings"  becomes 
a  personal  realization  of  the  reader,  a  matter  of  experi- 
ence. There  is  therefore  a  considerable  change  in  the 
modulations  of  the  voice.  "  Shield  "  and  "  buckler  "  are 
not  the  same.  The  mind  changes  its  point  of  view; 
the  longer  the  reader  meditates  upon  the  imaginative 
figures,  the  more  will  he  perceive  that  the  idea  of 
"shield"  is  more  negative,  but  "buckler"  more  posi- 
tive, implying  not  only  protection  but  courage.  "  Pesti- 
lence in  darkness "  and  "  destruction  at  noonday " 
contain  double  parallelisms,  but  each  is  distinct.  Verse 
6  is  a  partial  reiteration  of  5,  but  it  is  not  exactly  the 
same.  The  imagination  is  moving  onward,  the  experi- 
ence closer  home  to  a  personal  realization,  and  even  such 
subtle  changes  in  mental  and  emotional  action,  in  the 
sympathetic  attitude  of  the  heart,  may  be  shown  by  the 
modulations  of  the  voice.  "  A  thousand  "  changing  to 
"  ten  thousand "  seems  a  mere  cumulative  repetition ; 
but  to  one  who  knows  the  significance  of  "the  right 
hand  "  in  the  Old  Testament,  a  far  more  intense  feeling 
is  conveyed  by  this  expression.  In  the  last  clause  of 
verse  7,  notice  the  very  emphatic  change  which  comes 
from  the  personal  realization  of  protection.  In  verse  10 
the  difference  between  "evil"  and  "plague"  demands 
an  emphatic  pause  after  the  word,  and  emphatic  changes 
of  pitch  and  color  express  our  sense  of  His  protecting 
care.  Notice  also  the  cumulative  effort  in  passing  from 


DISCRIMINATION  IN   THINKING  159 

"lion"  to  "adder"  and  from  the  "young  lion"  to 
"  serpent."  Then  how  varied  the  experience  and  vocal 
expression  of  the  last  verses ! 

The  primary  requisite  of  all  expression  is  that  a  spe- 
cific impression  should  precede  and  determine  it.  This 
discriminative  action  can  be  easily  developed.  While  at 
first  the  reader  may  imagine  that  chaos  will  ensue  as 
soon  as  he  begins  really  to  think,  the  specific  concentra- 
tion and  the  transition  of  the  mind  from  idea  to  idea 
will  result  in  varied  and  free  expression. 


XVII.     CHANGE   OF   IDEAS    AND    PITCH 

IF  we  turn  to  the  effect  of  this  transitional  or  discrim- 
inative action  upon  the  voice,  we  find  corresponding 
changes.  We  note  a  change  of  pitch  between  words 
or  phrases.  Any  variation  in  mental  action  directly 
causes  a  change  in  vocal  action.  In  conversation  we 
find  continual  changes  of  pitch  as  the  most  common 
element  of  naturalness.  The  wide  range  of  voice  in 
ordinary  conversation  is  due  not  to  rules  of  elocution  or 
to  imitation,  but  to  the  fact  that  the  mind  is  left  free. 
The  voice  naturally  changes  with  changes  of  mind,  -f- 
so  much  so,  indeed,  that  the  direction  of  the  change  is 
simply  in  the  way  most  open.  If  one  idea  be  given  on 
a  high  pitch,  a  contrasted  idea  naturally  follows  on  a 
lower  pitch,  or  if  one  picture  be  portrayed  in  one  part 
of  the  voice,  a  different  one  involves  the  use  of  another 
part  of  the  voice.  The  reader  must  follow  nature's 
guidance  in  accentuating  the  difference  between  succes- 
sive ideas,  must  use  changes  of  pitch  as  the  language 
of  the  discriminative  conception  of  each  idea,  and  also 
accentuate  and  extend  the  differences. 

Of  all  elements  of  delivery,  possibly  changes  of  pitch 
are  freest  from  any  mechanical  rule.  As  the  twigs 
upon  a  tree  stand  out  in  all  directions,  each  simply 
extending  in  the  direction  most  open  to  it,  so  natural 
speech,  in  direct  response  to  the  actions  of  a  living  mind, 
changes  pitch,  and  in  directions  which  will  show  most 

160 


CHANGE  OF   IDEAS  AND   PITCH  161 

contrast.  The  degree  of  pitch  and  the  direction  of  the 
change  are  wholly  free. 

In  developing  agility  of  voice  there  must  be  an  en- 
deavor to  secure  mental  flexibility,  and  to  identify,  as 
far  as  possible,  the  vocal  modulation  with  the  free  move- 
ment of  ideas.  Especially  must  the  contrasting  actions 
of  the  mind  be  accentuated.  Each  idea  must  be  made 
as  specific  as  possible,  must  be  as  much  of  a  departure 
as  possible  from  the  last;  and  in  the  same  way  the  voice 
if  low  in  giving  one  idea  or  phrase,  should  be  high  in 
speaking  the  next,  if  high  on  the  first,  lower  on  the 
second,  and  so  on  with  spontaneous  flexibility. 

Monotonous  conversation  is  infrequent,  but  monoto- 
nous reading  is  very  common.  To  avoid  sameness,  the 
reader  must  carefully  observe  his  mental  processes  and 
be  able  by  his  voice  to  accentuate  this  progressive  dis- 
crimination. 

Change  of  pitch  is  of  special  importance  in  the  read- 
ing of  the  Scriptures.  The  sacred  and  solemn  character 
of  the  thought,  the  depth  and  dignity  of  the  emotion, 
naturally  tend  to  interfere  with  the  flexibility  of  the 
mind  and  the  corresponding  variation  in  voice.  Sub- 
lime thought  must  be  conceived  intensely ;  the  grander 
the  ideas,  the  more  they  should  be  realized,  changes  in 
pitch  should  be  more  extreme,  but  more  regular  and  in 
unity  with  the  rhythmic  changes  in  pause  and  touch. 

Changes  of  pitch  should  be  especially  studied  in  the 
parallelisms  of  the  Psalms.  The  strong  contrast  in 
ideas,  the  fine  discriminations  in  emotion,  as  well  as 
changes  in  point  of  view,  render  change  of  pitch  very 
important. 

In  Psalm  xcvii.  2,  "  Clouds  and  darkness  are  round 


162  THE  TECHNIQUE 

about  him :  righteousness  and  justice  are  the  foundation 
of  his  throne,"  these  two  clauses  must  be  so  read  as  to 
be  in  direct  opposition,  the  first  showing  the  apparent 
attributes  and  characteristics  of  God,  the  second  His 
real  and  true  spirit.  This  contrast  must  be  shown  by  a 
decided  change  in  key  and  coloring. 

The  reader  must  indicate  not  only  such  striking  con- 
trasts but  far  more  subtle  transitions.  For  example,  in 
Psalm  Ixxxiv.  n,  not  only  must  the  imagination  realize 
the  difference  between  "sun"  and  "shield,"  but  the 
voice  also  must  express  that  difference.  In  Psalm  cii. 
6-7,  there  must  be  wide  discrimination  in  the  pictures  in 
passing  from  "  pelican  "  to  "  owl "  and  then  to  "  sparrow 
alone  upon  the  housetop."  Such  pictures  should  be 
vivid  and  definitely  conceived,  and  then  they  will 
necessarily  call  for  distinct  changes  of  pitch. 

In  Psalm  civ.,  the  reader  will  be  tempted  merely  to 
enumerate  the  various  objects;  but  "the  springs,"  and 
"mountains,"  "beast,"  "wild  asses,"  and  "fowl,"  and  so 
on  through  the  whole  psalm,  every  picture  must  be 
definitely  framed  and  have  an  expression  distinct  from 
the  others. 

The  intimate  relation  between  change  of  pitch  and 
pause  and  touch  must  be  carefully  observed.  Pause 
without  change  of  pitch  is  tedious.  There  is  no  pro- 
gression, but  simply  reiteration.  Change  of  pitch  or 
touch  justifies  the  pause,  and  shows  that  it  was  genuine 
or  that  the  mind  was  engaged  in  receiving  a  deeper 
impression,  a  fresh  inspiration.  The  length  of  the 
pause  is  justified  by  the  extension  of  the  change  of 
pitch.  There  is  a  certain  instinctive  proportion  between 
the  two  which  the  speaker  or  true  reader  feels. 


CHANGE   OF   IDEAS   AND   PITCH  163 

We  can  see  also  an  important  relation  between  change 
of  pitch  and  the  whole  subject  of  rhythm.  One  of  the 
faults  of  rhythm  is  sing-song.  This  is  not  genuine 
rhythm ;  it  is  only  rhythm  of  words  or  phrases.  It  is 
a  superficial,  external  rhythm,  implying  elimination  of 
thought.  The  best  remedy  for  it  is  accentuation  of  dis- 
crimination between  ideas,  the  contrasting  of  one  centre 
of  attention  with  another,  of  each  successive  conception 
with  the  preceding.  This  will  result  in  great  variations 
in  pitch.  Sing-song  is  rhythm  of  feeling  without  rhythm 
of  ideas ;  alternation  of  pause  and  touch  without  varia- 
tion of  pitch.  If  there  be  variation  of  pitch,  it  is  a 
mere  conventional  tune  and  not  the  direct  result  of  the 
apprehension  of  each  successive  idea. 

The  reason  why  change  of  pitch  has  been  almost 
entirely  overlooked  in  elocution  is  that  no  rules  can  be 
laid  down  for  it.  The  ordinary  rule  that  joy  is  indi- 
cated by  high  pitch  and  sorrow  by  low  pitch  is  worse 
than  nonsense.  Joy  is  given  in  all  pitches,  and  sorrow 
indicated  in  every  part  of  the  voice.  There  may  be  a 
deeper  principle,  namely,  that  controlled,  intense  emo- 
tion of  any  kind  tends  to  expression  on  a  low  pitch, 
while  animation  and  lack  of  control,  or  explosive  emo- 
tions, tend  toward  a  higher  pitch.  As  an  illustration, 
we  note  the  fact  that  speakers  who  have  poor  control 
of  emotion  or  voice  frequently  get  upon  a  high  pitch 
and  stay  there.  The  explosive  tendency  causes  con- 
striction of  the  throat,  even  tightening  of  the  vocal 
bands,  and  a  high  pitch  is  the  consequence.  The 
remedy  for  such  a  fault  is  the  development  of  a  sense 
of  the  function  of  change  of  pitch,  and  the  freedom  of 
the  pictorial  action  of  the  mind. 


1 64  THE   TECHNIQUE 

In  expression,  where  we  study  the  simple,  natural  life 
of  the  mind  in  the  voice,  and  strive  to  obey,  not  rules 
but  principles,  not  to  find  something  which  would  be  as 
definite  as  a  verbal  symbol,  but  to  find  that  which  is  as 
natural  as  the  blooming  flower,  change  of  pitch  is  one 
of  the  most  important  steps  to  be  practised.  It  will, 
however,  not  only  furnish  relief  to  the  voice,  giving 
more  spontaneous  and  flexible  action  of  all  the  agents, 
especially  stimulating  breathing,  so  as  to  enable  the 
reader  to  take  breath  more  frequently  and  in  response 
to  the  rhythm  of  his  mind,  but  will  also  develop  imagi- 
native activity.  It  awakens  a  freer  and  more  spontane- 
ous life  of  mind,  and  helps  to  correct  all  the  worst  faults 
in  the  reading  of  the  Scriptures. 

As  we  find  an  ordinary  and  an  extraordinary,  or 
emphatic  pause,  so  we  find  the  ordinary  change  of 
pitch,  which  shows  the  passing  of  the  mind  from  one 
idea  to  another,  and  an  extraordinary  change  of  pitch 
or  key,  which  expresses  marked  transition  in  emotion 
or  situation. 

These  unusual  changes  are  found  in  the  Scriptures 
more  frequently  than  in  any  other  writings.  As  an 
example,  note  that  after  the  cry  of  Stephen  (Acts  vii.  60) 
the  simple  description  of  his  death  is  given  on  a  much 
lower  pitch,  with  deep  emotional  recognition  of  the  sub- 
lime significance  of  the  event. 

Again,  note  in  the  call  of  Isaiah  (Is.  vi.)  that  all  the 
variations  of  pitch  are  more  or  less  extreme  and  co- 
ordinated with  long  pauses  and  strong,  slow  rhythm. 
At  the  close  of  verse  8,  "  Here  am  I ;  send  me," 
there  is  a  special  contrast  with  what  precedes,  the  chief 
element  employed  to  express  this  being  an  unusual 


CHANGE   OF   IDEAS   AND   PITCH  165 

change  of  key.  These  words  may  be  so  emphasized  by 
change  of  pitch,  slow  rhythm  and  coloring,  as  to  indi- 
cate the  relation  of  this  passage  to  the  whole  book  of 
Isaiah. 

Observe  also  that  after  any  words  of  the  Master,  or 
any  of  His  miracles,  a  description  of  the  effect,  espe- 
cially of  the  impression  produced  upon  the  people,  is 
marked  by  an  extreme  change  of  key.  Also,  in  the 
Master's  words,  when  He  passes  in  any  of  His  addresses 
to  an  application  or  solemn  warning  there  is  a  long 
pause  with  an  unusual  change  of  pitch  as  well  as  a 
slower  movement. 

One  may  easily  discover  for  himself  the  function  of 
change  of  pitch.  Read  a  verse  of  Scripture,  giving 
phrase  after  phrase  without  variation  of  key.  Then 
read  the  same  with  genuine  thinking  and  realization  of 
each  idea,  and  give  every  phrase  variation  according  to 
its  specific  meaning.  The  difference  will  be  surprising. 
The  variation  need  not  be  forced ;  it  is  the  thinking 
that  needs  to  be  accentuated,  and  the  sympathetic 
response  of  the  voice  will  naturally  follow. 

Sometimes  we  find  sustained  changes  of  pitch,  indi- 
cating a  series  of  antitheses ;  for  example,  in  the  third 
chapter  of  Ecclesiastes,  "There  is  a  time  to  be  born, 
and  a  time  to  die,"  and  the  long  series  of  antitheses  or 
parallels  which  follow  this.  These  contrasts  are  indi- 
cated by  many  modulations  of  tone,  the  most  important 
being  a  change  of  pitch.  This  change  seems  funda- 
mentally necessary  even  when  these  contrasts  are 
shown  by  movement  and  color.  In  fact  a  change  of 
pitch  does  not  eliminate  but  rather  makes  more  neces- 
sary the  presence  of  the  other  voice  modulations ;  and 


1 66  THE  TECHNIQUE 

the  habit  of  eliminating  intervals  of  pitch  will  more  or 
less  cause  the  omission  of  changes  in  movement,  color, 
and  even  inflection.  The  reason  for  this  is  possibly 
because  discrimination  is  the  first  element  in  all 
thinking. 

Change  of  pitch  in  reading  the  Scriptures  can  hardly 
be  overestimated;  it  is  liable  to  be  overlooked.  It  is 
not  thought  of  as  having  any  meaning  but  considered 
as  interfering  with  dignity  and  solemnity.  The  result  is 
sameness  rather  than  unity ;  not  weight,  but  monotony. 

The  reader  should  demonstrate  to  himself  the  truth 
of  these  statements.  Take  some  familiar,  favorite 
passage ;  think  out  the  subtlest  discriminations  of  ideas, 
the  transitions  to  new  pictures  and  to  new  points  of 
view ;  and  in  rendering  accentuate  these  very  strongly. 

Psalm  Ixxxiv.  or  a  joyous,  animated  passage  may  be 
given  with  the  greatest  possible  variety.  Isaiah  vi.  and 
especially  the  last  part  of  Acts  vii.  are  sublime  pas- 
sages to  be  read  with  long  pauses  and  extreme  but 
regular  changes  of  pitch,  so  as  to  accentuate  their 
dignity. 

Take  passages  with  unusual  changes  of  theme,  sub- 
ject, situation,  or  feeling,  and  indicate  these  naturally 
with  changes  of  pitch.  Practise  some  unusual  or  em- 
phatic change  of  key  until  the  transition  is  perfectly 
simple  and  natural,  and  indicates  not  chaos  but  unity. 


XVIII.     METHOD   IN   THINKING 

IN  a  fuller  observation  of  the  processes  of  thinking, 
we  discover  a  further  important  element.  Not  only 
does  the  mind  realize  centres  of  attention  distinct  from 
one  another,  but  with  this  discrimination  each  idea  is 
also  conceived  in  relation  to  others,  and  one  idea  made 
the  centre  around  which  many  others  radiate.  Not  only 
is  there  in  every  phrase  a  central  idea  and  word,  but  in 
every  sentence  or  paragraph  there  is  one  point  more 
important  than  all  others.  In  fact,  in  a  whole  address 
or  Scripture  Lesson,  a  single  idea  can  be  found  to  which 
all  others  are  related  or  subordinated. 

This  fact  is  shown  especially  in  the  difference  between 
musing  and  thinking.  In  musing,  the  mind  floats  from 
idea  to  idea,  but  in  thinking  it  exercises  critical  control 
over  its  own  processes.  While  passing  over  many  ideas 
more  rapidly,  it  selects  and  holds  one  longer  under 
the  domination  of  attention.  It  chooses  carefully  the 
direction  in  which  it  is  to  go,  and  gives  vital  connection 
of  idea  with  idea.  From  the  truth  of  one  idea,  another 
is  inferred. 

An  important  characteristic  of  a  logical  mind,  and 
a  mark  of  true  culture,  has  been  shown  by  Coleridge 
to  be  "  The  unpremeditated  and  evidently  habitual 
arrangement  of  words,  that  are  grounded  in  the  habit 
of  foreseeing  in  each  integral  part,  or  in  every  sentence, 
the  whole  that  he  intends  to  communicate."  This  broad 

167 


168  THE   TECHNIQUE 

grasp  by  the  mind  of  all  that  it  is  to  give,  may  make 
thinking  abstract  and  the  voice  cold  and  monotonous, 
but  united  to  a  living  perception  of  each  idea,  it  not 
only  gives  unity  and  continuity  of  meaning,  but  also 
aids  the  vivid  realization  of  individual  ideas. 

The  word  "method"  etymologically  means  "road." 
The  methodic  action  of  the  mind  is  the  choosing  of  the 
path  that  leads  through  many  ideas  and  thoughts  to 
some  specific  end.  In  a  labyrinth  of  words  the  intelli- 
gent reader  chooses  and  fixes  upon  the  central  idea, 
which  will  lead  him  and  his  hearers  also  in  the  right 
direction. 

This  penetrative,  selective,  or  methodic  instinct  is  of 
primary  importance  to  true  vocal  expression.  Every 
sentence  must  be  so  spoken  as  to  intimate  the  logical 
road  or  reveal  the  connection  of  the  author's  ideas. 

The  highest  human  characteristic  is  reasoning,  and  it 
is  chief  among  the  actions  of  the  mind  in  reading.  To 
be  a  good  reader  does  not  depend  upon  "  mere  aptitude, 
mere  peculiarities  of  voice  and  manner  which  are  in- 
born," nor  does  it  depend  purely  upon  the  extent  of 
one's  knowledge  or  on  having  "something  to  say."  It 
depends  primarily  upon  one's  ability  to  bring  his  best 
powers  into  harmonious  action  at  the  instant  he  is  upon 
his  feet.  A  man  may  be  a  great  scholar,  but  without 
developing  this  power  he  cannot  be  a  fine  reader  or 
speaker.  The  greater  the  preparation,  usually  the  bet- 
ter the  delivery.  But  no  preparation  can  be  substituted 
for  the  apprehension  of  successive  ideas  in  relation  to 
a  broad  purpose  at  the  time  one  speaks.  The  interpre- 
tative reader  must  train  his  logical  insight.  He  must 
gain  the  power  to  relate  every  word  spoken  to  the  cen- 


METHOD    IN   THINKING  169 

tral  thought,  sustain  attention  upon  this  main  idea  and 
make  it  logically  salient  by  the  modulation  of  his  voice. 

One  who  seriously  desires  to  interpret  the  Scriptures 
by  his  voice  should  make  analysis  of  many  long  pas- 
sages. An  entire  epistle  should  be  thoroughly  studied, 
and  the  results  of  the  profoundest  exegesis  applied  to 
the  finding  of  the  central  ideas  that  the  voice  may 
render  adequately  the  method  of  the  whole  letter.  At 
any  rate  the  reader  should  study  a  Scripture  lesson 
till  he  can  show  its  method  by  his  voice. 

Let  us  illustrate  this  by  a  part  of  I  Cor.  xv.  Paul 
has  been  talking  about  the  resurrection  to  the  Corinthian 
Christians,  to  whom  this  article  of  belief  was  a  stum- 
bling-block. In  the  thirty-fifth  verse  he  notes  one  of 
their  objections.  Their  trouble  being  with  the  manner  of 
the  resurrection,  attention  is  centred  upon  "  how  "  and 
"  body."  "Thou  fool"  must  be  spoken  as  if  the  reader 
spoke  to  himself  as  well  as  to  others.  Otherwise  it  may 
appear  as  an  offensive  or  egotistic  assumption.  To  call 
another  a  fool  as  if  the  speaker  were  not  one  himself, 
is  an  insult,  but  to  say  it  to  ourselves  is  the  most  impres- 
sive way  of  exhorting  others.  The  revised  version  adds 
"thyself"  to  give  emphasis  to  " thou "  expressed  irl 
the  Greek.  "  Sowest  "  is  the  key  to  the  first  illustra- 
tion, and  is  also  asserted.  Paul  often  uses  antitheses, 
and  they  are  very  important  through  this  whole  passage. 
"Grain"  is  antithetic  to  "body  that  shall  be."  In 
verse  39  "  flesh  "  introduces  an  entirely  new  illustra- 
tion. It  must  not  be  read  as  if  the  reader  were  still 
talking  about  sowing ;  the  word  must  be  so  spoken  as 
to  show  that  Paul  has  passed  from  vegetable  to  animal 
life.  "Beasts"  and  " birds "  and  " fishes "  are  succes- 


I/O  THE   TECHNIQUE 

sively  central.  "  Celestial  "  and  "  terrestrial "  (v.  40) 
are  in  direct  contrast;  and  now  follows  a  series  of 
antitheses.  "Sun,"  "moon,"  and  "stars,"  all  introduce 
new  illustrations.  Only  one  of  these  is  carried  out,  — 
the  idea  of  star,  though  "  star "  in  the  second  case 
should  be  introduced  with  strong  accent  because  anti- 
thetic to  common  opinion.  Most  people  think  that  all 
stars  are  alike,  but  they  are  not. 

In  verse  42  there  is  change  of  key  and  movement  and 
color  because  Paul  passes  from  the  illustrations  of  the 
previous  six  verses  to  the  central  theme.  "  Resurrec- 
tion "  is,  of  course,  antithetic  to  all  the  illustrations. 
Not  merely  the  word  but  the  whole  sentence  must  be 
strongly  accentuated  to  show  the  central  point  at  which 
Paul  aims.  Another  series  of  antitheses  is  now  intro- 
duced, contrasting  "  corruption  "  and  "  incorruption  " ; 
"  dishonor  "  and  "  glory  "  ;  "  weakness  "  and  "  power  " ; 
the  "  natural  body"  and  the  "  spiritual  body  "  ;  the  "first 
Adam"  and  the  "last  Adam."  Verse  50  is  strongly 
antithetic  to  the  common  opinions  and  views  of  men, 
and  every  idea  or  phrase  should  be  given  with  staccato 
accentuation.  Then  the  movement  becomes  much  slower, 
with  strong  accentuation  of  the  rhythmic  pulsations 
and  centres  of  attention,  making  a  climax  on  verse  57. 
There  follows  a  long  pause  with  change  of  key  to 
indicate  a  transition  back  to  those  to  whom  he  wrote, 
and  verse  58  is  then  given  with  simple  familiarity  and 
intensity  of  personal  exhortation. 

The  reader  should  strongly  accentuate  the  ideas 
which  he  regards  as  central  and  be  governed,  not  by 
rules  or  by  some  one's  marking,  but  by  his  own  thinking 
and  intuition. 


METHOD   IN  THINKING  171 

Carefully  study  Psalm  L,  and  so  emphasize  by  inflec- 
tion, change  of  pitch,  and  by  the  use  of  all  the  modula- 
tions of  the  voice  that  the  blessing  upon  the  righteous 
and  the  warning  to  the  wicked  are  contrasted  in  such  a 
way  as  to  show  the  perfect  unity  of  the  whole. 


XIX.     INFLECTION 

As  we  have  found  pause  and  touch  directly  expres- 
sive of  the  rhythmic  mental  actions  and  change  of  pitch 
revealing  the  discriminative  actions  of  the  mind,  so  we 
find  that  the  logical  connection  of  ideas,  or  the  sense 
of  method,  is  more  especially  shown  by  the  various 
modulations  of  inflection. 

Inflection  is  change  in  the  length  of  sound-waves; 
that  is,  of  pitch  during  the  emission  of  a  vowel.  It  is 
united  to  touch,  and  like  it,  is  normally  confined  to  the 
accented  vowel  of  a  word.  Inflection  shows  the  attitude 
of  the  reader's  mind  toward  his  ideas  or  their  connection 
or  relation  to  his  purpose,  his  special  point  or  degree  of 
earnestness  or  his  relation  to  his  auditors. 

Inflection  is  a  universal  characteristic  of  conversation. 
Rarely  do  we  find  even  a  child  who  uses  inflection  im- 
perfectly in  talking.  But  in  reading  or  in  speaking, 
misuse  of  inflection  is  one  of  the  most  common  faults. 
Its  specific  value  should  therefore  be  carefully  observed. 
Conversation  must  be  studied  and  problems  practised  in 
order  to  develop  and  command  its  chief  function. 

Inflection  indicates  the  broader  relations  of  ideas, 
especially  in  connection  with  change  of  pitch.  Inflec- 
tion is  change  of  pitch  during  the  emission  of  a  vowel ; 
and  change  of  pitch  itself  is  an  interval  between  words, 
clauses,  or  sentences.  These  go  together  always,  change 
of  pitch  revealing  the  discrimination  of  one  idea  from 

172 


INFLECTION  173 

another,  while  inflection  gives  the  essential  connec- 
tion and  positive  sequence  or  inference.  These  two  to- 
gether discharge  the  logical  function  in  delivery. 

A  rising  inflection  is  a  shortening  of  the  sound-waves; 
a  falling  inflection,  the  lengthening  of  the  sound-waves. 
The  length  of  an  inflection  is  the  range  or  amount  of 
change  in  the  length  of  the  sound-waves,  and  the  ab- 
ruptness of  the  inflection  the  rapidity  with  which  the 
change  is  made.  Of  two  inflections  having  the  same 
range,  one  may  take  up  more  time  than  the  other. 
Crooked  or  circumflex  inflections  are  compound  or  irreg- 
ular changes  of  the  sound-waves. 

1.    Direction  of  Inflection.  —  The  direction  of  inflec-  * 
tion   indicates  the  attitude  of   the  speaker's  mind.     A 
rising    inflection   indicates   that   the    mind    is    looking 
forward,  that  the  idea  is  given  in  relation  to   another 
which  is  coming  or  sought  for. 

A  rising  inflection  states  an  idea  as  an  appeal.  When 
the  mind  answers  a  question  or  asserts  an  idea  in  answer 
or  to  complete  another,  there  is  a  falling  inflection.  A 
rising  inflection  indicates  doubt ;  the  falling  indicates 
certainty.  The  rising  shows  confusion,  a  sense  of  trivi- 
ality or  superficiality,  while  the  falling  shows  a  sense  of 
weight  and  importance  attached  to  the  thought. 

Direction  of  inflection  is  not  determined  by  phrase- 
ology. Grammatical  relations  of  words,  even  formal 
questions,  do  not  determine  direction  of  inflection. 

Inflection  manifests  the  attitude  of  the  thinker's  mind. 
All  rules  such  as  "A  question  which  begins  with  a 
verb  or  that  can  be  answered  by  yes  or  no  must  be  given 
with  the  rising  inflection  "  have  been  discarded  for  a 
deeper  principle.  In  fact,  such  questions  may  be  given 


174  THE  TECHNIQUE 

with  a  falling  inflection  if  the  question  be  asked  in  a 
dominating  way,  or  when  the  asker  practically  hints 
his  answer  in  asking. 

Vocal  expression  is  not  secondary  to  rhetoric.  Both 
are  governed  by  the  laws  of  thought,  or  logic,  and  are 
parallel  modes  of  expression,  but  neither  is  subordinate 
to  the  other.  At  times,  the  phraseology  may  express 
the  same  as  the  inflection,  but  this  is  not  because  inflec- 
tion obeys  or  is  governed  by  words  or  the  phraseology. 

Direction  of  inflection  may  indicate  antithesis.  Words 
placed  in  opposition  are  usually  given  opposite  inflec- 
tions. "  We  are  perplexed,  but  not  in  despair."  We  may 
have  here  a  rising  inflection  on  the  first  and  a  falling 
on  the  second.  This,  however,  should  not  be  considered 
as  a  rule,  since  contrast  may  be  shown  in  other  ways. 
We  may  give  both  with  the  falling  inflection,  separating 
them  widely  by  pause  and  change  of  pitch,  thus  indicat- 
ing broader  contrast  or  fuller  perception. 

Again,  direction  of  inflection  may  indicate  the  relation 
of  ideas  to  one  another.  For  example,  "Whosoever 
shall  do  the  will  of  God,  the  same  is  my  brother,  and 
sister,  and  mother"  (Mark  iii.  35).  "Brother,  sister, 
mother,"  might  be  each  given  a  falling  inflection.  This 
would  mean  that  Christ  specialized ;  one  man  would  be 
a  brother  and  every  woman  a  sister  or  mother.  Or  a 
rising  may  be  given  to  the  first  two  and  a  falling  to  the 
third,  indicating  in  a  general  way  that  to  be  His  follow- 
ers implied  all  these  relations  and  more.  A  number  of 
ideas  may  then  be  grouped  together  in  one  conception, 
or  they  may  be  separated,  distinguished,  individualized, 
or  detached  by  inflection.  Again,  the  direction  of  in- 
flection may  indicate  the  relation  of  the  speaker  to  his 


INFLECTION  175 

hearer.  A  question  may  be  asked  with  a  rising  inflection, 
to  indicate  an  immediate  answer  or  the  throwing  of  the 
point  upon  the  hearers,  or  as  a  means  of  saying,  "  Is 
that  what  you  say  ? "  On  the  other  hand,  it  may  denote 
that  the  speaker  adopts  this  sentiment,  answering  it 
himself,  and  that  the  question  is  practically  answered 
in  the  way  it  is  asked,  or  that  the  answer  of  the  hearer 
is  taken  for  granted. 

An  excellent  illustration  of  question  and  answer  is 
found  in  2  Cor.  xi.  22-29.  Each  question  is  strongly 
accentuated,  and  no  doubt  the  burden  of  the  answer  was 
thrown  upon  the  Corinthians  to  whom  Paul  wrote.  The 
rising  inflection  must  be  long  and  definite,  and  the  answers 
given  with  an  equally  long  and  decided  fall.  A  rising 
inflection  on  these  questions  indicates  a  suspensive  atti- 
tude of  Paul's  mind,  while  a  falling  inflection  on  the 
answers  shows  his  confidence  and  positiveness  in  meeting 
his  slanderers.  There  should  be  also  a  change  of  color- 
ing, and  a  lower  key,  to  show  the  great  contrast  in  the 
point  of  view.  Some  of  the  questions  may  be  given 
with  a  falling  inflection,  to  afford  greater  variety  in  pre- 
senting the  attitude  of  mind  toward  these  critics.  In 
this  case  there  should  be  greater  contrast  in  change  of 
pitch  and  color,  to  indicate  the  positiveness  of  the 
answer.  In  fact,  all  the  questions  may  be  given  falling, 
and  the  answers  rising,  or  both  falling.  All  depends 
upon  the  attitude  of  the  mind  and  other  elements  intro- 
duced, such  as  pause,  color,  change  of  pitch  and  move- 
ment. To  give  the  questions  falling  would  indicate  that 
Paul  was  taking  it  for  granted  that  what  his  enemies 
asserted  about  themselves  was  true.  Contrast  and 
change  in  the  interrogative  attitude  of  the  mind  are 


1/6  THE   TECHNIQUE 

usually  best  shown,  however,  by  change  of  direction  in 
inflection. 

Direction  of  inflection  may  indicate  contrast  between 
a  negative  and  a  positive  attitude  of  mind.  "Is  the 
lamp  brought  to  be  put  under  the  bushel  or  under  the 
bed  and  not  to  be  put  on  the  stand  ?  "  A  rise  on  bushel 
and  a  fall  on  bed  implies  that  there  is  no  other  place  for 
the  lamp.  A  rising  inflection  on  both  indicates  that 
each  is  chosen  simply  at  random  as  illustrating  wrong 
places  for  a  lamp.  The  word  "  stand  "  should  receive 
the  falling  inflection  in  opposition  to  these.  The  mind 
preserves  the  negative  attitude  toward  bushel  and  bed, 
but  is  positive  toward  "  stand,"  the  proper  place  for  the 
lamp. 

Again,  direction  of  inflection  shows  mental  suspense 
as  contrasted  with  affirmation.  In  Isaiah  v.  7  we  have 
these  words,  "  He  looked  for  justice,  but  behold  oppres- 
sion ;  for  righteousness,  but  behold  a  cry."  By  giving 
a  strong  rising  inflection  on  "  justice,"  a  question  seems 
to  be  put  regarding  the  result.  Then  follows  the  answer 
with  a  falling  inflection,  on  a  lower  pitch.  For  the  same 
reason  the  voice  rises  on  "  righteousness  "  and  falls  on 
"  cry."  The  contrast,  however,  may  be  given  by  change 
of  pitch,  with  both  inflections  falling.  Other  ways  also 
can  be  found.  A  rising  inflection  may,  for  example,  be 
given  to  the  word  "  behold,"  with  a  pause  after  it,  which 
gives  still  another  interpretation.  There  is  a  difference  in 
meaning,  but  this  can  hardly  be  put  into  words.  Definite 
prescriptions  of  mode  are  dangerous  in  vocal  expression. 
Many  modes  may  be  true  to  the  spirit  of  the  passage, 
the  differences  being  due  to  personal  feeling  or  to  the 
way  the  imagination  of  different  readers  may  lay  hold  of 
the  situation. 


INFLECTION  177 

From  all  this  we  see  how  varied  may  be  the  mental 
attitude  which  can  be  indicated  by  the  direction  of  the 
inflection. 

Again,  direction  of  inflection  sometimes  indicates 
quotation.  The  parable  of  the  talents  (Matt.  xxv.  14-30) 
is  often  spoiled  by  the  reading  of  one  clause.  "  Thou 
knewest  that  I  reap  where  I  sow  not,  and  gather 
where  I  do  not  scatter,"  should  be  given  with  rising  in- 
flections. To  read  it  with  falling  inflections  is  to  seem 
to  make  the  Master  accept  this  interpretation  of  his  own 
character,  which  he  does  not.  The  rising  implies,  "  That 
was  your  opinion,  was  it  ? "  the  point  being,  "  Out  of 
thine  own  mouth  do  I  condemn  thee  ;  "  that  is,  "  If  you 
really  had  thought  I  was  such  a  man,  you  would  have 
acted  accordingly  and  put  my  money  into  the  bank,  and 
thus  have  avoided  responsibility.  From  your  own 
words,  the  inconsistency  between  your  professions  and 
your  actions,  you  will  be  judged."  He  was  condemned, 
not  because  he  had  only  one  talent,  or  even  because  he 
had  not  improved  it,  but  because  of  the  lie,  the  false 
relationship  between  his  words  and  his  deeds. 

Take  any  strong,  vigorous,  intellectual  passage ;  not 
only  vividly  conceive  each  idea,  but  realize  some  definite 
attitude  of  mind  toward  this  idea,  and  also  relate  it  to 
other  ideas  in  the  whole  passage.  The  sense  of  rela- 
tionship will  aid  and  not  interfere  with  the  vividness  and 
defmiteness  of  the  individual  idea.  Every  word  in  noble 
discourse  should  have  an  inflection  ;  and  they  have  such 
an  infinite  variation  of  directness,  to  say  nothing  of 
length  and  abruptness,  that  no  rules  can  cover  the 
ground.  The  reader  should  give  passages  in  many 
ways,  to  demonstrate  to  himself  the  importance  of  flex- 


178  THE   TECHNIQUE 

ibility  and  free  variation,  and  to  develop  the  logical 
action  of  the  mind. 

2.  Length  of  Inflection.  —  If  we  note  conversation 
carefully,  we  find  that  there  is  an  inflection  in  the 
utterance  of  every  word  in  a  phrase,  but  that  these 
inflections  vary  infinitely  in  length.  The  most  impor- 
tant word  is  usually  given  not  only  with  change  in  the 
direction  of  the  inflection  but  also  with  a  longer  inflec- 
tion than  any  other  word  in  the  phrase  or  sentence. 
Length  of  inflection  thus  indicates  degrees  of  importance. 
If  we  compare  several  phrases,  we  find  that  there  is  also 
great  variation  among  the  emphatic  words.  Inflections 
may  be  given  from  a  higher  or  a  lower  part  of  the  voice, 
and  may  pass  through  a  wide  range  likewise. 

Length  of  inflection  also  shows  degrees  of  intensity 
and  excitement.  Again,  passion  may  be  expressed  in 
mere  loudness,  but  this  occurs  when  there  is  little 
control  over  the  feeling  or  lack  of  refinement.  A  pro- 
foundly serious  man  does  not  express  his  deepest  feel- 
ings loudly.  Length  of  inflection,  united  to  decision  of 
touch  and  the  emphatic  pause,  is  the  most  important 
method  of  emphasis  in  the  reading  of  the  Scriptures. 
This  will  be  plain  to  any  one  who  will  seriously  make 
the  experiment  in  reading  any  important  short  passage. 
The  reader  must  test  for  himself  the  use  of  any  method 
of  emphasis.  He  must  not  be  content  to  drift. 

If  the  reader  will  choose  what  he  thinks  the  most 
dignified  and  noble  of  speeches,  and  read  it  first  in  a 
colloquial  way  and  then  in  five  or  six  other  ways,  each 
time  trying  to  give  the  greatest  dignity  possible,  and 
will  then  compare  the  means  in  each  case,  he  will  soon 
discover  the  importance  of  length  of  inflection. 


INFLECTION  179 

Render  some  emphatic  passages  or  strong  denuncia- 
tions, such  as  Isaiah  x.  1-4  or  Matthew  xxiii.  13-38, 
and  notice  the  length  of  the  inflections. 

3.  Abruptness  of  Inflection.  —  An  inflection  may 
slowly  change  the  length  of  the  sound-waves,  or  vary 
them  more  suddenly;  that  is,  an  inflection  may  be 
gradual  or  abrupt.  The  former  may  give  us  the 
appearance  of  length,  but  this  does  not  necessarily 
follow.  A  gradual  inflection  may  be  short  or  long; 
and  an  abrupt  inflection  may  be  also  narrow  or  very 
wide  in  range. 

The  gradual  change  indicates  calmness,  repose,  con- 
templation, command ;  while  inflections  will  be  abrupt  in 
proportion  to  the  excitement,  intensity,  and  at  times  the 
vigor  or,  perhaps,  the  completeness  of  the  control. 

Abruptness  shows  also  the  kind  of  excitement.  The 
deeper  and  more  profound  the  emotion,  possibly  the 
more  intensely  controlled  the  feeling,  the  more  gradual 
will  be  the  inflection ;  while  superficiality,  triviality,  and 
mere  nervousness  will  be  given  jerkily  and  with  abrupt 
inflections.  In  these  cases,  the  inflections  not  only  are 
abrupt,  but  may  also  be  circumflex. 

Again,  decision  of  thought,  great  self-command  and 
intensity,  require  a  certain  degree  of  abruptness  as  well 
as  length  in  the  inflections ;  this  is  so  even  in  reveren- 
tial expression  and  prayer.  The  profoundest  emotions 
are  best  expressed  by  the  color  of  the  voice  without 
changing  the  inflections  and  touch. 

When  inflections  are  too  gradual,  especially  when 
they  have  a  narrow  range,  they  may  indicate  hesitancy, 
fear,  deliberation,  or  indifference.  Too  slow  inflections 
give  the  impression  that  the  reader  is  not  sure  that  this 


I  So  THE  TECHNIQUE 

is  just  the  right  way  to  say  what  he  has  to  say  or  that 
he  has  not  full  command  of  the  central  thought  or 
emotion.  In  such  cases  they  are  usually  also  peculiarly 
circumflex.  On  the  other  hand,  inflections  which  are 
both  abrupt  and  long,  express  a  feeling  of  decision  in 
character  and  expression,  belief,  conviction,  and  intelli- 
gent realization  of  the  thought. 

Abruptness  of  inflection  must  not  be  confused  with 
shortness,  nor  must  a  gradual  inflection  be  considered 
long.  This  confusion  is  common  in  the  reading  of  the 
Scriptures,  for  there  is  a  tendency  to  make  inflections 
gradual ;  sometimes,  indeed,  they  are  almost  entirely 
eliminated.  Assumed  reverence  eliminates  inflection, 
especially  the  abruptness  of  it,  but  reverence  should  be 
in  the  man,  and  be  shown  in  the  texture  and  color  of 
his  voice.  Even  in  prayer  the  intensity  of  thought  and 
feeling  should  be  shown,  and  by  abrupt  inflection. 
Abruptness  of  inflection  is  closely  associated  with  touch. 

Short,  abrupt  inflections  also  characterize  the  collo- 
quial spirit.  Short  inflections  are  important  in  reading 
those  parts  of  the  Scriptures  which  are  not  emphatic,  for 
they  enable  the  reader  to  subordinate  these  and  to 
emphasize  by  longer  inflections  those  parts  which  really 
are  important. 

The  reader  may  be  made  aware  of  the  difference 
between  abrupt  and  gradual  inflections  by  reading  John 
xxi.  i- 1 8.  Note  the  difference  in  inflection  between 
the  dignified,  serious,  and  tender  words  of  the  Master 
and  Peter's  excited  speeches.  Great  depth  of  meaning, 
persuasion,  and  appeal  must  be  given  to  the  Master's 
questions.  Hence  the  inflections  are  long,  and  gradual, 
while  Peter's  protestations  are  abrupt  and  broken. 


INFLECTION  l8l 

4.  Straightness  of  Inflection.  —  In  addition  to  direc- 
tion, length,  and  abruptness,  an  inflection  may  be 
characterized  by  Straightness  or  crookedness ;  may 
be  direct  or  what  is  called  circumflex.  An  inflection  is 
straight  in  proportion  to  the  dignity  and  weight  of 
the  thought,  the  frankness,  directness,  simplicity,  and 
seriousness  of  the  speaker  or  reader.  Inflections  are 
crooked,  on  the  contrary,  in  proportion  to  duplicity, 
sarcasm,  double  meaning,  or  some  undignified  attitude 
of  the  speaker. 

The  inflections  of  the  reader  of  the  Scriptures,  except 
in  rare  cases,  should  be  as  straight  as  possible.  He  is 
endeavoring  to  give  weight  to  the  truth  or  to  express 
the  dignity  of  the  message  he  is  to  deliver. 

A  circumflex  inflection  implies  contempt  and  sarcasm, 
a  kind  of  double  meaning ;  one  thing  is  said  and  another 
is  meant.  When  Elijah  said,  "  Cry  aloud,  he  is  a  god," 
he  did  not  mean  this,  and  his  irony  is  shown  by  circum- 
flex inflections.  But  on  account  of  the  dignity  of  the 
message,  such  sarcastic  inflections  should  be  used  spar- 
ingly, even  when  they  are  appropriate,  and  should  be 
immediately  offset  with  dignified  movement  and  straight 
inflections  in  the  next  clause  or  sentence.  Even  the 
most  colloquial  conversation  can  be  given  dignity  by 
straight  inflections  without  loss  of  naturalness.  True 
naturalness  does  not  require  the  undignified  elements 
which  are  found  in  daily  gossip.  A  straight  inflection 
implies  conviction,  genuineness  of  thought,  earnestness, 
and  sincerity.  "When  the  eye  is  single,"  inflections 
are  straight. 

Render  a  colloquial  passage  (James  i.  12-19)  where 
there  is  great  conversational  naturalness,  accentuating 


1 82  THE   TECHNIQUE 

especially  the  inflections  and  changes  of  pitch,  but 
entirely  without  circumflex  inflections. 

Contrast  a  dialogue  between  a  dignified  and  an  un- 
dignified character,  such  as  the  conversation  between 
Christ  and  the  woman  of  Samaria,  John  iv.,  giving 
straight  and  dignified  inflections  to  the  Master,  and  at 
first  show  the  superficial  attitude  of  the  woman's  mind  by 
circumflex  inflections,  which  gradually  become  longer, 
straighter,  and  more  dignified. 

5.  Freedom  and  Development  of  Inflection.  —  Rules 
must  not  interfere  with  the  free  action  of  the  reader's 
mind  nor  with  the  spontaneous  modulation  of  his 
voice.  Delivery  must  be  the  direct  use  of  the  natural 
languages ;  the  reader  must  intensify  his  thought, 
dignify  and  make  more  definite  his  attitude  toward 
every  successive  idea  and  situation,  and  appropriate 
inflections  in  great  variety  will  immediately  result.  He 
must  perceive  the  meaning  of  every  modulation,  study 
it  in  his  own  conversation,  observe  it  in  the  conversation 
of  others,  and  practise  it  in  rendering  his  understanding 
of  various  passages  of  the  Scriptures.  He  must  study, 
vary,  and  combine  these  modulations  until  he  finds  the 
right  expression.  Absence  of  inflection  shows  the 
absence  of  definite  thinking,  at  least  at  the  moment; 
the  defect  being  that  there  is  no  sense  of  relationship, 
no  variety  in  the  attitude  of  his  mind.  The  power  by 
which  one  word  may  be  made  salient,  and  all  others  in 
the  clause  or  sentence  subordinate,  must  be  realized,  so 
as  to  give  a  clear  perspective  to  thought.  The  reader 
must  be  able  to  grasp  the  whole  substance  of  what  he 
has  to  say,  and  bring  each  specific  idea  into  kinship 
with  his  purpose.  He  must  make  each  word  a  step  in 
the  direction  in  which  the  mind  is  going. 


INFLECTION  183 

Inflection  has  great  exegetical  value.  Probably  there 
is  no  modulation  of  the  voice  so  important  in  interpret- 
ing fine  and  delicate  shades  of  meaning.  For  example, 
in  speaking  this  clause,  "  Her  sins  which  are  many," 
ordinary  readers  emphasize  "  many,"  and  the  subtle 
point  of  the  passage  is  lost.  If  a  falling  inflection  be 
given  to  the  word  "  are,"  it  indicates  that  the  Master 
acquiesces  in  the  opinion  of  Simon,  as  if  he  said,  "  Her 
sins  —  which,  as  you  know  or  think,  are  many  —  are 
forgiven."  It  is  difficult  here  to  translate  the  delicate 
structure  of  the  Greek,  but  this  inflection  renders  some- 
thing of  its  significance.  By  this  method  of  interpreta- 
tion the  reader  indicates  that  although  Jesus  read  their 
thoughts  and  also  her  life,  this  made  no  difference  in  his 
sympathy  and  forgiveness. 

The  reader  of  the  Scriptures  should  guard  against  a 
special  tendency  to  eliminate  inflection;  he  should 
endeavor  to  accentuate  every  shade  of  meaning,  every 
specific  assertion,  and  every  subordination  by  the  inflec- 
tion of  his  voice.  A  great  variety  of  passages  should 
be  chosen,  as  different  as  possible  from  one  another,  and 
given  with  strong  accentuation  and  extreme  and  varied 
changes  of  pitch. 


XX.     METHOD   AND   MELODY 

INFLECTION  and  change  of  pitch,  in  union  with  pause 
and  touch,  constitute  the  elements  of  melodic  form ; 
these  modulations  apply,  not  only  to  individual  words  or 
even  to  phrases,  but  to  whole  sentences  and  paragraphs 
and  a  union  of  paragraphs.  The  free  and  flexible  varia- 
tion of  inflection  and  change  of  pitch  can  bring  out  the 
thought  of  the  passage  as  a  whole  and  bring  all  parts 
into  a  unity  of  relationship. 

The  general  relations  of  ideas,  the  simple  sequence 
of  attention,  are  shown  more  by  pause  and  touch ;  but 
inflection  and  change  of  pitch  introduce  the  possibility 
of  showing  the  relative  value  of  ideas,  of  suggesting 
broader  relation  of  parts. 

If  we  speak  a  simple  clause  or  sentence,  such  as, 
"  And  ye  shall  be  witnesses  of  me,"  the  word  "  wit- 
nesses," as  the  central  idea,  has  a  long,  falling  inflection. 
The  words  before  this  have  rising  inflections,  with 
changes  of  pitch  between  them  in  the  same  direction, 
and  all  words  after  " witnesses"  have  the  falling  inflec- 
tion, with  falling  changes  of  pitch  between  them.  The 
mind  is  looking  forward,  and  shows  this  by  using  the 
rising  inflections  and  by  gradually  rising  until  the  great 
central  word  is  reached,  which  is  asserted  with  a  falling 
inflection.  The  last  words  subordinated  to  this  are 
given  with  a  shorter,  falling  inflection  and  with  down- 
ward intervals.  If  the  sentence  were  a  direct  question 

184 


METHOD   AND   MELODY  185 

or  an  appeal  to  another  man  in  astonishment,  or  for 
confirmation,  the  word  "  witnesses  "  would  be  given 
with  a  rising  inflection,  and  all  the  following  rising,  but 
shorter  on  a  higher  pitch.  The  whole  phrase  or  sen- 
tence is  thus  brought  into  one  form  in  response  to  the 
perspective  of  thinking. 

The  modulations  of  inflection  and  change  of  pitch 
constituting  this  form  do  not  interfere  with  the  rhythmic 
pulsations  of  phrasing,  the  pauses,  touches,  or  any  of 
the  modulations  of  the  voice.  All  these  elements  unite 
and  point  in  every  word  of  each  phrase  to  the  idea  un- 
derlying the  group.  The  more  they  are  all  present  and 
the  greater  the  emphasis,  the  more  is  this  true.  They 
do  not  interfere  with  each  other. 

This  may  illustrate  the  elements  of  melody  in  speech 
so  far  as  it  applies  to  one  phrase ;  but  by  means  of 
longer  inflections,  by  still  greater  changes  of  pitch  be- 
tween different  clauses  by  giving  one  central  word  in 
a  higher  part  of  the  voice  and  another  in  a  lower  part 
of  the  voice,  a  great  many  such  clauses  or  sentences  can 
be  united  in  still  higher  relationship.  The  single  clause 
or  phrase,  with  only  one  centre,  may  be  called  conver- 
sational form,  and  the  relation  of  many  such  phrases 
melody  in  speech ;  but  it  is  not  necessary  to  cling  to  this 
distinction. 

The  fundamental  elements  in  this  speech  form  are 
inflection  and  change  of  pitch,  cooperating  with  each 
other.  Other  elements  of  delivery  unite  with  it,  and 
serve  to  emphasize  its  expression. 

The  illustrating  of  this  form  by  proper  exercises  be- 
longs to  a  work  on  the  voice,  but  its  meaning  cannot  be 
too  carefully  noted  here.  All  ministerial  tunes,  all  per- 


186  THE  TECHNIQUE 

versions  of  speech,  are  modifications  of  this  elemental 
form,  the  mastery  of  which  is  the  mastery  of  naturalness. 

i .  Conversational  Form.  —  To  realize  this  natural  form, 
take  only  the  three  words,  "  He  saw  him." 

"  He  "  is  on  a  lower  pitch  with  a  rising  inflection, 
.while  the  vowel  of  "saw"  is  given  a  falling  inflection 
from  a  higher  pitch,  and  "  him  "  has  a  shorter  fall  on  a 
lower  pitch.  All  three  words  are  thus  brought  into 
unity.  In  the  phrase  "  He  was  rich,"  the  falling  inflec- 
tion is  upon  the  last  word,  the  others  having  a  shorter 
rising  inflection,  showing  that  in  the  speaking  of  the 
words  the  attention  is  focussed  upon  the  last.  The 
central  word  may  be  anywhere  in  a  phrase,  and  almost 
any  number  of  words  may  precede  or  follow  it,  while 
several  phrases  separated  by  pauses  and  changes  of 
pitch  may  be  held  in  one  inflectional  or  conversational 
form. 

We  find  also  that  several  of  these  forms  can  be 
brought  into  greater  unity  by  placing  them  in  different 
parts  of  the  voice,  and  making  the  falling  inflection  on 
the  central  word  longer  in  one  of  these  clauses. 

The  naturalness,  clearness,  and  force  of  all  vocal 
expression  depend  on  two  main  elements  :  first,  the 
saliency  of  the  melodic  form  given  to  each  phrase 
according  to  individual  ideas ;  and,  second,  the  bring- 
ing of  these  phrases  into  inclusive  totals  by  greater 
range  of  voice  and  more  complex  melodic  relationship. 
The  former  reveals  the  individual  ideas  and  the  centre 
of  attention ;  the  latter  reveals  broader  relationship  of 
ideas  and  thought. 

As  men  grow  more  earnest,  the  range  of  this  conver- 
sational form  or  melody  can  be  greatly  extended.  The 


METHOD   AND   MELODY  I 87 

inflections,  as  well  as  the  pauses  and  changes  of  pitch, 
may  become  longer,  and  the  grasp  of  logical  and  melodic 
unity  may  be  made  to  include  greater  totals.  One  of 
the  most  important  points  for  the  reader  or  speaker  is 
the  training  of  his  voice  to  give  this  form  with  all  degrees 
of  extension.  He  must  hold  it  so  simply  and  saliently 
that  it  will  not  vary  in  its  elements,  whatever  changes 
in  color  or  rhythmic  movement  may  be  united  with  it. 

One  of  the  most  important  methods  of  extending  this 
form  is  by  using  an  emphatic  pause  after  the  central 
word,  and  occasionally  before  it.  Pauses  are  sometimes 
introduced  between  the  short  phrases  in  subordinate 
clauses.  These  do  not  interfere  with  the  character  of 
the  form,  but  serve  simply  to  extend  it  in  time,  and 
make  it  more  emphatic.  Extending  the  length  of 
inflection  and  intervals  enlarges  the  form  and  increases 
the  power  and  saliency  of  variation  in  pitch.  This,  too, 
is  very  important :  to  lengthen  the  pause  and  increase 
the  touch  in  the  accentuation  of  the  rhythm  synchro- 
nously with  the  extension  of  the  range  and  the  accentua- 
tion of  the  elements  of  conversational  form. 

The  study  of  a  passage  may  illustrate  the  power  of 
conversational  form.  To  indicate  the  great  centres  of 
attention,  and  to  express  the  logical  meaning  of  a  long 
passage,  study  carefully  the  parable  of  the  Good  Sa- 
maritan, Luke  x.  25-37.  The  word  "  lawyer  "  is  here  the 
first  point  asserted  for  consideration.  It  introduces  a 
new  subject.  There  is  less  accent  on  "  tried."  Take 
the  lawyer's  attitude  of  mind,  and  give  a  salient  inflec- 
tion to  "  eternal  life."  Also,  in  the  Master's  answer, 
"readest"  is  the  centre  of  a  distinct  phrase.  Some  be- 
lieve that  verse  28,  "this  do  and  thou  shaltlive,"  should 


1 88  THE   TECHNIQUE 

be  given  with  a  rising  inflection,  possibly  a  rising  cir- 
cumflex, implying  that  the  lawyer  did  not  fulfil  the  law. 
An  argument  for  this  is  found  in  the  phrase  "desir- 
ing to  justify  himself,"  but  this  may  apply  to  his  desire 
to  try  the  Master,  the  cause  of  his  original  question. 
There  seems  no  reason  for  this  circumflex  insinuation 
in  the  Master's  words.  Ingenuity  is  to  be  avoided. 
The  word  "Jericho,"  the  climax  of  the  verse,  is  em- 
phatic ;  also  "  the  robbers  "  and  "  half  dead"  —  all  these 
words  mark  the  centres  of  attention.  The  word  "  priest " 
is  emphatic,  with  an  extension  of  the  form.  There  may 
be  some  joy  in  the  coloring  that  one  should  pass,  from 
whom  help  would  naturally  be  expected ;  but  there  is 
surprise  and  disappointment  in  "  passed  by  on  the  other 
side."  "  Levite  "  is  emphatic,  but  the  word  "Samari- 
tan," as  the  central  word  of  the  whole  story,  receives 
double  emphasis  and  a  long  pause,  because  as  a  sup- 
posed enemy  he  is  the  last  man  from  whom  any  help 
could  be  expected.  The  word  "compassion,"  because 
antithetic  to  the  conduct  of  the  others,  is  emphatic,  and 
our  surprise  and  admiration  increase  with  his  other 
acts. 

The  parable,  or  illustration,  must  have  unity ;  there 
must  be  a  long  pause  at  its  beginning,  verse  30,  and  at 
its  close,  verse  35;  it  must  be  so  read  as  to  show  the 
Samaritan  in  contrast  to  both  priest  and  Levite.  The 
question  of  the  lawyer  must  also  be  accentuated,  and 
verse  36  must  be  given  with  direct  inflections  so  as  to 
suggest  that  it  was  spoken  directly  to  the  lawyer  and 
in  such  a  way  as  to  bring  back  the  mind  to  the  ques- 
tion which  occasioned  the  parable.  The  last  words, 
"  Go  and  do  thou  likewise,"  must  be  given  slowly  and 


METHOD   AND   MELODY  189 

tenderly.  It  is  the  lesson  of  the  whole,  and  goes  back 
to  the  spirit  of  the  parable.  Thus  both  the  dialogue 
and  the  poetic  narrative,  when  introduced  with  imagina- 
tive feeling  and  dramatic  coloring,  must  be  given  very 
distinct  relationship  so  as  to  show  the  unity  of  the  whole 
passage. 

2.  Subordination.  —  Not  only  is  it  important  to  make 
one  idea  salient,  but  the  laws  of  form  require  also  that 
others  be  made  subordinate.  To  attempt  to  make  every- 
thing salient  is  to  destroy  the  perspective  of  thought 
almost  as  effectively  as  to  make  nothing  salient.  Deliv- 
ery must  give  perspective  to  the  thought.  The  centre 
of  the  picture  must  stand  out  with  great  prominence, 
and  the  details  which  are  familiar,  accidental,  or  unim- 
portant must  be  put  in  the  background.  This  is  usually 
called  subordination,  and  secured  mainly  by  the  union 
of  inflection  and  change  of  pitch. 

It  is  surprising  to  note  how  frequently  many  readers 
and  speakers,  after  making  a  salient  discriminating 
inflection,  at  once  bring  the  following  clause  or  word, 
often  of  very  slight  importance,  up  to  the  same  level, 
thus  destroying  the  effect  of  the  emphasis.  Emphasis 
demands  not  only  the  accentuation  of  the  central  word 
or  fundamental  idea  by  giving  it  a  long  inflection  begin- 
ning on  a  higher  pitch,  but  also  the  giving  of  the  sub- 
ordinate parts  with  shorter  inflections  on  a  lower  pitch 
if  after  a  falling,  or  with  higher  pitch  if  after  a  rising 
inflection. 

The  failure  to  subordinate  is  one  cause  of  speaking 
on  one  pitch.  The  accentuation  of  one  particular 
point  in  opposition  to  another  is  necessary  to  correct 
monotony ;  but  as  there  are  more  parts  subordinate 


igo  THE  TECHNIQUE 

than  emphatic,  subordination  plays  the  more  important 
rdle. 

As  in  a  painting,  the  background  is  the  chief  source 
of  the  beauty  of  the  picture,  so  the  subordination  of  un- 
important words  or  clauses  furnishes  the  real  measure 
of  the  reader's  or  speaker's  power. 

The  reader  must  acquire  the  ability  to  give  inflections, 
decision  of  touch,  pauses,  and  rhythmic  and  melodic  pro- 
gression or  conversational  form  among  his  subordinate 
phrases  and  clauses,  as  well  as  upon  the  more  emphatic 
parts  of  the  passage.  He  must  be  able  to  begin  low  and 
climb  to  an  emphatic  word,  and  then  be  able  to  descend 
gradually  to  the  lowest  point  possible. 

Subordination  is  dependent  upon  the  power  to  sustain 
the  attention  on  the  salient  idea  while  holding  the  acci- 
dental parts  in  relation  to  this  centre.  It  is  thus  the  reve- 
lation of  the  broader  and  higher  logical  relations  of  ideas. 
There  is  no  greater  difference  among  readers  than  the 
fact  that  one  gives  only  pulsations  upon  the  same  pitch, 
while  another  gives  a  more  logical  sequence  and  relation- 
ship of  ideas. 

The  reader  must  acquire  power  to  subordinate  after 
an  emphatic  pause.  "  And  great  was  the  fall  thereof." 
A  long  pause  after  "  fall "  makes  it  very  emphatic,  but 
its  force  is  totally  vitiated  if  the  word  "thereof"  be 
given  on  the  same  pitch  as  "  fall,"  and  not  subordinated. 
Such  emphatic  phrases  with  subordination  are  found 
everywhere.  "  The  good  shepherd  giveth  his  life  for 
the  sheep."  A  long  pause  after  "  life,"  with  the  subor- 
dination of  "  for  the  sheep,"  makes  the  passage  strong. 

The  force  of  the  emphatic  pause  is  dependent  upon 
the  subordination  of  the  following  words.  It  is  curious 


METHOD   AND   MELODY  191 

how  much  of  a  stumbling-block  subordination  is  to  most 
readers.  The  earnest  student  must  seriously  grapple 
with  the  task,  and  greatly  accentuate  his  subordina- 
tions in  connection  with  salient  inflections  and  em- 
phatic pauses. 

The  importance  of  subordination  in  conveying  the 
meaning  may  be  illustrated  in  i  John  iii.  3.  In  the 
clause  "  Every  one  that  hath  this  hope  in  him," 
the  phrase  "in  him"  is  usually  subordinated.  This 
makes  "  him  "  dependent  upon  the  subject  of  the  clause 
and  capable  of  being  omitted  without  changing  the  sense. 
If  any  one  will  look  at  the  Greek,  he  will  see  the  prepo- 
sition translated  "in"  is  too  strong  for  this.  Hence 
the  American  Revisers  render  thus,  "  And  every  one 
that  hath  this  hope  set  on  him  purifieth  himself."  If 
"  in  him  "  be  given  a  separate  inflection,  —  that  is,  not 
in  subordination  to  the  preceding  phrase,  —  the  meaning 
will  then  be  entirely  different.  "  Him  "  will  refer  to 
Christ.  Which  is  correct  ? 

3.  Range.  —  Inflection  and  change  of  pitch  bring  us 
to  range  of  voice.  Successive  clauses  should  bring  all 
parts  of  the  voice  into  play.  One  clause  should  be 
given  in  the  middle  of  the  voice,  another  in  the  higher 
part,  and  still  another  in  the  lower. 

If  the  reader  will  take  an  emphatic  passage  and  de- 
liberately express  different  clauses  in  different  parts  of 
his  voice,  he  will  discover  how  easy  it  is  to  develop  this 
most  important,  beautiful,  and  impressive  element  of 
vocal  expression.  Such  a  variation  in  pitch  relieves 
the  voice  greatly,  and  gives  more  pleasure  to  the  audi- 
ence ;  but  these  things  are  of  minor  importance  as  com- 
pared with  the  greater  clearness  and  impressiveness  of 


IQ2  THE   TECHNIQUE 

the  interpretation  of  the  passage  and  the  freedom  it 
brings  to  conversational  form. 

The  whole  subject  of  inflection,  change  of  pitch, 
range,  and  subordination  calls  attention  to  the  im- 
portance of  flexibility  of  the  voice.  Agility  of  voice 
may  be  developed  in  part  by  technical  exercises,  and 
such  should  be  used ;  but  the  primary  difficulty  is  with 
the  thinking,  especially  with  the  discrimination  of  ideas 
from  one  another.  The  power  to  think  upon  the  feet, 
to  realize  vividly  each  idea  in  contrast  with  the  preceding 
in  such  a  way  that  the  voice  will  respond  to  the  thought, 
is  the  most  important  aid.  Beautiful  voices  may  be  mo- 
notonous, and  lacking  in  range.  A  poor  voice  used  in 
direct  response  to  the  mind  with  a  wide  range  will  be 
pleasanter  and  far  more  effective  in  expression  than  a 
good  voice  lacking  the  simple  response  to  the  progres- 
sive actions  of  the  mind,  sometimes  on  account  of  its 
owner's  admiration  for  it. 

To  test  and  develop  the  power  of  freedom  or  ease  of 
the  voice,  use  it  in  as  wide  a  range  as  possible.  The 
reader  should  also  practise  abrupt  transitions. 

A  passage  which  illustrates  the  necessity  of  increas- 
ing greatly  the  range  of  voice  is  John  viii.  31-59.  The 
words  of  the  Master  are  most  serious,  and  they  produce 
a  marvellous  impression,  so  much  so  that  "  the  Jews  took 
up  stones"  to  cast  at  Him.  The  spirit  of  the  passage 
demands  great  contrast  between  the  Master's  manner 
and  the  rhythm  and  melody  in  the  words  of  the  Jews. 
They  must  have  used  circumflex  inflections  in  their  sneer- 
ing questions,  while  the  Master  added  still  greater  dig- 
nity and  weight,  and  His  manner  must  have  risen  to 
heights  of  sublime  suggestiveness.  Possibly  He  used 


METHOD   AND   MELODY  193 

the  sacred  name  when  He  said,  "  Before  Abraham  was 
I  am,"  and  thus  provoked  their  anger.  Certainly  the 
changes  of  pitch,  the  contrasts  in  inflection,  and  move- 
ment of  the  passage  can  be  rendered  without  detract- 
ing from  its  dignity.  On  the  contrary,  they  increase  its 
impressiveness. 

Thorough  study  and  rendering  of  such  a  passage  will 
also  aid  in  developing  the  necessary  flexibility  of  voice. 

4.  Ministerial  Tunes.  —  The  so-called  ministerial  tunes 
will  be  best  understood  in  connection  with  melody  and 
inflection. 

There  is  an  infinite  variety  of  speech  tunes ;  every 
profession  evolves  one.  The  stage  tune  is  totally  dif- 
ferent from  the  lawyer's,  the  lawyer's  from  the  teacher's, 
the  teacher's  from  the  preacher's.  Each  denomination 
of  Christians  has  something  of  a  tune  peculiar  to  itself. 
All  these  speech  tunes  are  faults  of  melody ;  they  have 
their  root  in  some  variation  of  conversational  form. 

The  most  common  element  is  a  drop  upon  the  em- 
phatic word,  which  results  from  a  drift  in  feeling.  Its 
most  frequent  cause  is  an  ecstatic  mood ;  thinking  and 
feeling  are  not  brought  into  unity. 

To  correct  a  ministerial  "  tune,"  freedom  from  some 
form  of  which  is  rare,  will  require  serious  attention 
to  the  relation  of  thought  to  emotion,  and  rhythm  to 
melody.  The  first  attention  should  be  given  to  the 
thinking.  The  speaker  or  reader  should  be  able  to 
accentuate  the  centres  of  his  attention,  and  be  sure 
not  only  that  he  both  thinks  and  feels,  but  that  he 
thinks  and  feels  each  successive  idea.  He  must  indi- 
vidualize and  not  wholesale  his  ideas  and  emotions. 
The  ministerial  tune  may  be  defined  as  the  expres- 


194  THE   TECHNIQUE 

sion  of  a  mood  rather  than  of  feeling,  the  manifes- 
tation of  a  general  situation  or  subject  without  specific 
impression  from  individual  ideas. 

The  emphatic  pause  is  the  first  help.  The  second  is 
touch,  the  decision  of  which  reveals  definiteness  of  at- 
tention to  individual  ideas.  The  third,  so  far  as  the 
technique  is  concerned,  is  the  definite  variation  of  in- 
flection. Feeling  must  be  manifested  by  color,  thought 
by  form ;  and  the  reader  or  speaker  must  realize  that 
they  can  be  united,  that  one  never  interferes  with  the 
other. 

One  guilty  of  a  ministerial  tune  should  make  sure 
that  he  is  speaking  to  his  auditors,  that  he  directly  and 
definitely  presents  each  successive  idea  to  their  atten- 
tion. He  must  have  a  definite,  specific  attitude  toward 
each  idea ;  he  must  make  men  think  each  individual  idea 
as  he  presents  it  to  them,  and  must  use  all  the  modula- 
tions of  the  voice  to  induce  attention. 

Another  help  is  the  careful  study  of  intellectual 
emphasis  of  the  central  ideas.  Where  there  is  a  mood 
there  is  a  disposition  to  eliminate  individual  ideas.  The 
reader  should  strongly  accentuate  all  antitheses  and 
discriminative  mental  acts,  but  must  learn  to  do  this 
without  becoming  didactic  or  neutral. 

The  subject  of  subordination  and  range  is  of  great 
importance,  also  the  unity  of  the  various  modulations. 
In  every  case  where  the  ministerial  tune  is  concerned, 
there  is  a  tendency  to  overwork  some  one  form  or  mode 
of  inflection  or  touch.  The  combination,  therefore,  of 
the  intellectual  methods  of  touch,  pause,  change  of 
pitch,  and  inflection  is  primarily  necessary. 

Many  think  that  the  ministerial  tune  is  simply  rhythm, 


METHOD   AND   MELODY  195 

and  try  to  break  it  up  by  removing  all  rhythm ;  but 
this  is  a  mistake.  A  tune  is  often  rhythm  at  the  ex- 
pense of  melody,  but  the  rhythm  is  necessary.  The 
rhythm,  however,  is  usually  artificial  and  not  genuine. 
It  is  a  rhythm  of  a  mood  or  feeling,  not  of  both  thinking 
and  feeling. 

The  minister  must  not  fear  a  tune,  but  must  try  to  be 
genuine.  A  false  melody  is  apt  to  become  worse  from 
dread,  because  thought  of  the  external  prevents  a 
reader  from  concentrating  his  mind  upon  each  idea. 
A  fixed  tune  results  from  a  negative  mood. 

The  worst  phases  of  ministerial  tunes  are  associated 
with  meaningless  changes  of  pitch  and  simultaneous 
eliminations  of  inflection.  To  make  change  of  pitch  and 
inflection  a  direct  manifestation  of  meaning,  is  one  of 
the  important  remedies.  The  reader  must  study  all  the 
modulations  of  the  voice  and  get  a  definite  conception 
of  the  function  of  each,  in  order  to  realize  that  expres- 
sion can  reveal  the  complex  life  of  his  mind  and  heart, 
that  at  every  instant  these  elements  must  combine  to 
suggest  every  aspect  of  his  realization  of  truth. 

Take  a  simple  passage,  and  after  talking  as  natu- 
rally as  in  ordinary  conversation,  gradually  increase  the 
range  and  distribute  the  ideas  to  a  larger  number  of 
imaginary  persons,  while  still  maintaining  the  conver- 
sational form. 

Observe,  for  example,  the  first  paragraph  of  the 
second  chapter  of  James  (vs.  1-13).  Here  is  a  passage 
which  the  reader  perceives  to  be  specifically  appli- 
cable to  many  of  our  prominent  churches  to-day.  The 
preacher  should  read  this  selection  as  if  giving  a  kindly 
personal  application  of  it  to  the  members  of  his  church. 


1 96  THE   TECHNIQUE 

In  this  case  he  will  find  himself  under  the  necessity 
of  using  a  great  variety  of  modulations  of  his  voice  to 
press  the  meaning  home,  and  he  will  also  find  that  there 
are  less  tune  and  more  form,  —  no  less  rhythm,  but  a  very 
great  saliency  of  melodic  range. 

Such  an  exercise  is  important  also  because  it  enables 
a  reader  to  apprehend  how  far  he  grasps  the  direct  pur- 
pose of  his  ideas,  and  his  power  of  relating  one  to 
another,  and  especially  of  relating  each  to  the  attention 
of  his  auditors. 

The  dramatic  passages  where  different  men  are  talk- 
ing together,  so  often  found  in  the  Gospels,  may  be 
made  helpful.  The  reader  must  grasp  the  real  dramatic 
point  of  view,  and  identify  himself  directly  with  the 
situation.  In  Matthew  iv.  the  devil's  words  are  not 
approved  by  the  reader  if  he  is  in  sympathy  with  the 
spirit  of  the  passage.  This  is  true  even  when  the 
devil  quotes  Scripture.  There  is  nothing  more  ridicu- 
lous than  to  have  the  devil's  words  read  very  slowly 
in  solemn,  serious  tones  of  admiration  and  reverence. 
One  afflicted  with  a  tune  should  read  this  passage,  con- 
trasting intensely  his  attitude  toward  the  Master  with 
that  toward  the  devil,  and  give  the  devil's  words  with 
some  accentuation  of  the  dramatic  elements. 


XXL     THE   ARGUMENT 

ONE  of  the  most  important  points  for  the  reader  is  to 
arrange  the  argument  of  the  passage  he  has  selected 
to  read.  An  individual  verse  may  be  understood,  while 
the  passage  as  a  whole  is  but  vaguely  realized.  It  may 
be  safely  said  that  in  vocal  expression  the  perspective 
of  the  thought,  that  is,  the  due  placing  of  some  elements 
in  the  foreground,  and  the  subordination  of  others,  is 
the  foundation  upon  which  all  realization  of  a  passage 
is  to  be  based. 

In  every  verse,  in  every  paragraph,  and  in  every  well- 
arranged  lesson  there  is  one  centre  upon  which  the  mean- 
ing depends.  For  example,  the  nineteenth  Psalm  may 
be  called  God's  Two  Messengers,  or  God's  Two  Modes 
of  Expression.  The  first  theme  is  the  "heavens,"  which, 
especially  to  the  Oriental,  is  the  most  important  part  of 
nature.  The  word  "  firmament  "  is  a  synonym  of  this, 
showing  the  extent  of  His  handiwork,  and  indicating 
more  in  particular  the  glory  of  God.  "  Day  "  talks  to 
"day,"  and  "night "  to  "  night."  Though  by  us  unheard, 
their  "line" — their  influence — has  gone  out  through 
all  the  "earth,"  and  their  "words"  to  the  end  of  the 
"  world."  The  central  pictures  follow  each  other  natu- 
rally,— "tent,"  "sun,"  then  "bridegroom"  and  "strong 
man,"  or  athlete. 

But  now  (in  verse  7)  we  come  to  a  different  theme. 
The  word  "  law  "  introduces  a  strong  antithesis  and  is 

197 


198  THE   TECHNIQUE 

very  emphatic.  The  first  part  of  the  psalm  is  about 
nature;  the  second  concerns  the  written  message  or 
"  law." 

In  the  second  part  the  word  for  Deity  is  "Jehovah  "; 
in  the  first,  "  Elohim."  For  this  and  other  reasons, 
many  critics  imagine  a  double  authorship  ;  but  unity  of 
authorship  is  of  little  importance  in  early  literature. 
As  the  psalm  stands,  we  have  a  unity  of  structure  which 
is  more  important  and  must  be  shown  by  reading.  The 
old  English  ballads  had  many  versions,  and  it  would  be 
unnatural  to  suppose  that  the  psalms  have  not  been 
altered  in  being  arranged  for  the  temple  services.  In 
our  own  hymn-books  a  dozen  versions  of  a  hymn,  only  a 
hundred  years  old  or  less,  will  be  found  in  as  many 
hymnals.  Critical  analysis  should  settle  these  ques- 
tions, but  the  reader  of  the  Scriptures  should  not 
remain  in  the  critical  and  analytic  attitude,  but  accept 
the  psalm  before  him  as  it  stands,  provided  it  makes 
an  intelligible  impression  of  unity.  His  concern  is  with 
the  effect  of  the  literature,  not  with  its  evolution. 

The  idea  of  the  law  is  repeated  in  many  synonyms, 
such  as  "  testimonies,"  "  precepts,"  "commandments"; 
but  these  must  have  no  emphasis,  for  they  are  mere 
repetitions.  After  the  word  "law"  the  emphasis  is 
upon  its  characteristics,  which  are  contrasted  with  those 
of  nature.  This  written  record  is  "  perfect  " ;  nature  is 
imperfect.  Nature  may  enlarge  and  stimulate  the  mind ; 
the  law  restores  the  "  soul."  Nature  may  give  us  knowl- 
edge understood  by  scientific  men ;  the  law  "makes  wise 
the  simple."  Nature  is  indirect  and  reflective ;  the  law 
is  "right,"  direct,  "rejoicing  the  heart."  It  teaches 
directly,  —  appeals  to  the  intuitions,  —  while  nature 


THE  ARGUMENT  199 

requires  reflection.  Again,  it  is  "  pure,"  not  confused, 
without  so  many  perplexing  questions  as  to  the  origin 
of  evil  or  the  death  of  the  innocent.  More  than  this, 
like  a  great  work  of  art,  this  word  opens  the  "eyes  "  to 
see.  It  not  only  gives  information,  but  stimulates  the 
faculties  to  appreciate  it. 

Now  we  have  another  change, — -"fear."  This  may 
be  the  same  as  law  and  not  emphatic,  but  it  may  mean 
the  right  attitude  toward  it  and  be  emphatic.  Accord- 
ing to  Perowne,  in  verse  n,  we  have  another  change. 
The  psalm  becomes  subjective,  and  we  are  to  accentuate 
the  word  "warned"  and  the  idea  of  "keeping  them." 
This  part  speaks  of  the  inner  life,  conscience  and  intui- 
tive realization,  the  difficulties  of  discerning  errors  and 
recognizing  hidden  faults,  the  deliberative  sins  and  the 
unconscious.  And  then  at  the  close  comes  an  expres- 
sion of  the  desire  for  simple  and  direct  correspondence 
in  our  life  and  expression  to  the  method  of  God  in  nature 
and  in  His  Law. 

To  read  this  psalm  as  it  is  usually  read,  with  no 
accentuation  of  law  in  opposition  to  nature,  no  accentu- 
ation of  the  point  where  the  psalm  becomes  subjective 
and  refers  to  the  intuitions,  is  to  miss  its  argument,  to 
fail  in  realizing  its  higher  unity.  Yet  how  very  rarely 
is  a  passage  like  this  interpreted  by  the  voice  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  give  a  true  understanding  of  the  central 
idea  or  of  the  unity  and  relations  of  all  its  parts. 

Broader  relations  and  higher  unity  may  be  intimated 
by  the  voice.  Immediately  after  the  Transfiguration 
(Luke  ix.  28-45)  the  Master  meets  with  a  discouraging 
lack  of  faith.  Raphael,  in  his  last  painting,  portrays  both 
scenes,  —  the  Transfiguration  above  and  the  demoniac 


200  THE    TECHNIQUE 

below.  The  reader  may  also  bring  the  two  parts  of  the 
passage  into  unity  by  contrast.  The  exaltation  of  the 
first,  the  shadow  of  the  second,  and  the  final  victory  in 
the  healing  of  the  boy  may  all  blend  into  one  impres- 
sion. A  further  contrast  with  a  still  higher  view  may 
be  gained  by  continuing  the  lesson  a  few  more  verses  to 
show  the  wonder  and  admiration  of  the  multitude  and 
His  serious  words,  "  The  son  of  man  shall  be  delivered 
up  into  the  hands  of  men."  This  should  be  read  very 
slowly,  or  in  such  a  way  as  to  suggest  the  sorrowful 
path  to  a  still  higher  transfiguration.  This  may  be 
shown  more  intensely  by  expressing  the  reader's  under- 
standing of  the  failure  of  the  disciples  (v.  45)  to 
comprehend  His  saying. 

In  reading  the  death  of  Stephen  (Acts  vii.)  notice 
that  the  first  verse  of  the  next  chapter  should  be  in- 
cluded. This  verse  may  be  read  in  such  a  way  as  to 
indicate  the  relation  of  Stephen's  death  to  Paul's  con- 
version. A  change  should  be  made  from  the  deep  feel- 
ing of  the  last  words  of  Stephen  to  a  wider  range  of 
voice  and  freer  movement.  It  may  thus  suggest  the 
fact  that  Stephen's  death  was  not  in  vain,  but  was  the 
cause  of  Paul's  conversion.  The  earlier  picture,  "  Their 
garments  at  the  feet  of  a  young  man  called  Saul,"  should 
also  be  given  suggestively. 

How  difficult  it  is  to  find  the  connection  or  argument 
of  many  parts  of  the  Bible  is  shown  in  a  comparison  of 
different  translations.  When  we  place  an  earlier  beside 
a  later  version,  though  individual  verses  in  the  older 
translation  have  great  beauty  and  force,  yet  in  the  later 
book  the  connection  of  the  thought  or  of  the  argument 
has  generally  been  made  clearer. 


THE   ARGUMENT  2OI 

When  the  King  James  Version  is  read,  therefore,  the 
reader  should  carefully  study  later  versions  in  order 
more  clearly  to  realize  the  argument  and  know  what 
ideas  are  central.  In  some  cases  words  may  be  substi- 
tuted that  the  meaning  of  the  passage  may  be  more 
definitely  shown. 

If,  for  example,  we  read  the  twenty-eighth  chapter  of 
Job  in  the  Authorized  Version,  we  are  entirely  at  sea 
as  to  its  meaning.  The  specific  ideas  are  given  for  their 
own  sake.  "There  is  a  path  which  no  fowl  knoweth." 
Most  people  are  sure  that  this  must  be  God's  providence, 
and  expresses  the  mysteries  of  life.  But  when  we  turn 
to  the  Revised  Version,  we  find  that  the  idea  of  God  does 
not  enter  into  the  thought  until  the  twenty-third  verse. 
The  first  part  of  the  passage  is  a  discussion  of  mining, 
as  illustrating  man's  ability  to  discover  and  comprehend 
the  mysteries  of  nature.  "  Silver,"  "  iron,"  and  "  brass  " 
are  the  first  themes.  In  the  third  verse  the  subject 
(implied  in  Hebrew)  is  rendered  "man"  in  the  Revised 
Version;  according  to  still  later  versions,  "the  miner." 
The  path  of  the  miner,  let  down  in  his  basket  digging  for 
the  veins  of  metal,  is  the  "  path  which  no  fowl  knoweth." 
Man's  mind  can  penetrate,  as  no  brute's  can,  into  the 
secrets  of  nature.  The  passage  is  logical  in  the  Revised 
Version,  giving  a  simple  description  of  connected  facts, 
until  we  come  to  the  great  question  in  the  twelfth  verse 
concerning  "  wisdom,"  which  is  important,  for  it  is  con- 
trasted with  all  this  knowledge  of  minerals  here  chosen 
to  illustrate  the  power  of  the  human  mind.  Then  follows 
a  discussion  of  the  superiority  of  wisdom  to  all  precious 
stones,  and  in  the  twenty-third  verse  the  word  "God" 
is  introduced  for  the  first  time,  and  is  strangely  emphatic 


202  THE   TECHNIQUE 

as  the  answer  to  the  question,  "  Where  can  wisdom  be 
found  ? "  He  is  the  one  who  understands  wisdom. 
Thus  the  mind  is  led  onward  from  the  metals  of  the 
first  verses  to  a  strong  emphasis  on  "  wisdom,"  and  then 
to  a  more  impressive  touch  and  falling  inflection  with  a 
pause  and  a  change  of  color  at  the  word  "God."  The 
mind  still  follows  a  natural  succession  of  ideas  until  in 
the  last  verse  wisdom  is  defined.  The  phrases  "  the  fear 
of  the  Lord,"  and  to  "  depart  from  evil,"  should  receive 
salient  inflection  as  giving  a  summary  or  climax  of  the 
entire  passage.  The  whole  chapter  can  be  read  aloud, 
and  its  meaning,  or  the  logical  unity  of  the  whole,  be 
made  perfectly  clear  and  forcible. 

A  still  more  important  and  more  difficult  illustration 
of  the  power  of  the  voice  to  manifest  argument  or  con- 
tinuity of  ideas  is  found  in  the  fragmentary  report  of 
the  Sermon  on  the  Mount.  Any  analysis  of  this  must 
be  taken  only  as  the  opinion  of  one,  and  the  method  of 
reading  it  as  simply  an  illustration  to  show  how  this 
meaning  may  be  interpreted  by  the  voice.  Innumerable 
are  the  opinions  regarding  the  meaning  of  this  Sermon  ; 
its  true  spirit  is  possibly  understood  by  few.  Every  one 
must  study  this  most  important  passage  patiently,  and 
get,  not  only  an  understanding  of  the  whole,  but  a  true 
conception  of  each  part  and  its  relation  to  the  whole. 
No  one  can  ever  interpret  such  a  passage  without 
getting  its  spirit  and  its  keynote. 

The  simple  sentence  or  statement  before  the  Sermon 
(Matt.  v.  1-3),  and  also  the  closing  description  of  the 
effect  of  the  Sermon  (Matt.  vii.  28,  29),  act  as  a  frame 
to  the  picture,  and  should  be  read  in  such  a  way  as  to 
suggest  the  weight  and  dignity  of  the  Sermon  by  being 


THE  ARGUMENT  203 

set  off  with  pauses  and  delivered  in  contrast  with 
greater  flexibility  and  quicker  movement. 

The  citizens  of  the  kingdom  are  first  introduced 
(Matt.  v.  3-12).  "Blessed"  should  be  followed  by  a 
long,  suggestive  pause ;  it  is  antithetic  to  "  cursed "  in 
the  old  dispensation.  (See,  for  example,  Deut.  xxvii. 
15-26.)  To  give  the  right  vocal  modulations  and  inflec- 
tions to  these  words  and  clauses,  the  reader  should  hold 
in  his  mind  the  contrast  between  the  Mount  of  the  Law 
and  the  Mount  of  the  Sermon.  The  Law  said,  cursed 
be  he  who  disobeys.  The  Master  is  positive,  and  says, 
"  Blessed,"  and  later  "  Rejoice."  The  Law  said,  "  Thou 
shalt  not "  —  the  point  of  view  is  external  conduct. 
"  Remember  the  Sabbath  day  "  and  "  Honor  thy  father 
and  thy  mother,"  which  seem  to  be  positive,  concern 
the  external  relations  and  are  essentially  negative. 
Even  the  commandments  to  love  God  and  one's  neigh- 
bor are  given  in  the  negative  form.  The  Sermon,  on 
the  contrary,  calls  attention  to  the  disposition  of  the 
heart.  We  are  not  good  from  what  we  do  not  do,  nor 
even  on  account  of  any  external  acts,  but  on  account  of 
what  we  are  or  what  we  aspire  to  be.  "  Poor  in  spirit " 
and  "meek"  are  simply  the  teachable;  "they  that 
mourn"  are  those  that  are  dissatisfied  with  external 
conditions;  "those  who  hunger  and  thirst"  the  ones 
who  aspire  ;  "  the  merciful  "  those  who  love.  The  "  Ten 
Words,"  or  Commandments,  belong  to  the  exodus  from 
Egyptian  bondage ;  the  Beatitudes  to  the  exodus  from 
a  spiritual  bondage.  There  are  no  references  to  robes, 
priests,  ceremonies,  or  forms.  Everything  suggests  the 
spiritual  kingdom. 

If  the  Sermon  be  not  read  with  its  keynote  in  mind, 


204  THE   TECHNIQUE 

the  argument  will  be  lost ;  and  it  will  be  considered, 
as  it  usually  is,  simply  a  chaotic  collection  of  phrases 
or  sayings  without  logical  unity,  without  any  interpre- 
tation of  the  great  fundamental  principle  of  Christ's 
mission  which  is  set  at  the  very  heart  of  this  Sermon 
and  runs  through  its  every  line  with  a  marvellous  unity. 
It  is  not  chaotic,  and  should  be  so  read  as  to  appeal 
to  the  soul  of  man,  and  to  enable  him  to  realize  the 
inner  kingdom  and  its  positive  law  ;  the  kingdom  founded 
not  upon  obedience  to  rule,  but  upon  purity  of  thought, 
aspiration,  and  love. 

"  The  poor  in  spirit  "  is  emphatic.  It  is  antithetic  to 
the  world's  view,  not  the  self-satisfied,  not  the  rich,  not 
those  on  the  material  plane,  but  those  who  aspire  to 
the  riches  of  the  soul  and  the  spirit.  "  Heaven  "  must 
be  spoken  so  as  to  suggest  what  Christ  meant,  not  a 
remote  world  patterned  somewhat  after  this.  "  Mourn  " 
is  strongly  emphatic.  Mourners  are  the  last  class  one 
would  naturally  think  of  as  blessed.  An  implied 
antithesis  is  the  strongest  kind  of  antithesis,  and  all  the 
Beatitudes  contain  implied  antitheses.  For  this  reason 
the  Beatitudes  should  be  read  slowly.  There  should  be 
a  long  pause  before  each  reason  for  "  blessed,"  and 
these  reasons  should  be  given  so  as  to  show  that  the 
blessings  of  the  new  Kingdom  are  not  coming  as  men 
think  they  are.  The  Kingdom  of  Heaven  is  not  to 
come  with  observation,  not  to  the  self-satisfied,  but  to 
those  who  feel  a  longing  for  higher  things,  to  the  meek, 
not  to  the  proud  nor  to  the  pretentious,  the  self-asser- 
tive nor  the  successful,  as  the  world  regards  "  success," 
but  to  those  of  large  ideals,  with  a  sense  of  the  unattained, 
to  those  who  feel  "  the  petty  done  and  the  undone  vast " 


THE   ARGUMENT  2O$ 

in  the  spiritual  life.  "  Hunger  and  thirst "  and  also 
"  righteousness "  are  emphatic.  Emphasis  upon  two 
successive  words  is  made  possible  by  their  being 
separated  with  a  pause.  The  pause  is  of  special  value 
in  the  Beatitudes,  for  the  emphasis  is  rhythmic  rather 
than  melodic,  and  all  is  weighty. 

The  "merciful"  are  those  who  have  human  feelings 
and  tenderness.  "  Pure  in  heart,"  —  the  statement  here 
should  be  read  slowly,  as  it  is  important  in  its  connec- 
tion. "The  man,"  says  Emerson,  "who  believes  the 
world  is  ruined,  has  the  ruin  in  the  axis  of  his  own 
vision."  Chaos  ensues  because  he  has  lost  the  right 
point  of  view.  "  Shall  see  God  "  because  He  is  seen 
only  in  the  soul;  if  not  found  there,  He  will  not  be  seen 
anywhere.  This  should  be  read  with  more  emphasis 
than  any  of  the  preceding  reasons  for  being  blessed. 
"  Peacemakers,"  not  the  fighters,  nor  the  strenuous, 
nor  the  dominators  of  the  world  by  physical  force,  not 
those  who  conquer  others,  but  those  who  conquer  them- 
selves, who  affirm  the  law  of  order  and  love  in  their  own 
souls. 

The  Beatitudes  begin  with  "  blessed,"  which  is  more 
or  less  passive;  they  close  with  the  active  "rejoice," 
which  has  increased  emphasis. 

Two  illustrations  follow,  as  some  critics  think,  with- 
out connection  and  out  of  place.  Are  they  not  the 
method  of  the  new  Kingdom  ?  Not  by  performance, 
but  by  being,  the  citizens  of  the  inner  Kingdom  are  like 
"salt."  Such  is  the  power  of  the  inner  life  that  their 
work  is  to  let  their  "  light  shine."  Have  faith  in  light 
and  love  and  simple  being.  Example  is  better  than 
precept.  The  new  Kingdom  is  the  living  Kingdom,  — 


206  THE  TECHNIQUE 

a  kingdom  of  realization,  having  its  source,  not  in  the 
external  mumbling  of  creeds,  not  even  in  the  mere  senti- 
mental helping  of  others,  but  in  a  deep  life,  not  on  the 
lower  plane,  affording  them  food  for  the  body,  but  by 
awaking  the  light  which  will  transform  the  darkest  pit. 

The  theme  (vs.  17,  18)  is  implied  in  "  not  to  destroy 
the  law  but  to  fulfil."  This  is  strongly  emphatic.  "  Ex- 
ceed" (v.  20)  is  specially  emphatic.  (See  the  Greek.) 
The  scribes  and  Pharisees  are  here  mentioned  because 
they  professed  obedience  to  the  Law.  The  external 
standard  must  be  changed  to  an  internal  one,  or  ye  will 
not  enter  here  and  now  into  the  Kingdom  of  Spirit. 

Now  follows  the  most  marvellous  use  of  antithesis  in 
literature.  "  Ye  have  heard  that  it  was  said  .  .  .  but  I 
say"  knowledge  must  be  direct,  not  traditional.  The 
Old  said,  "  Do  not  kill,"  but  I  say,  be  not  "  angry." 
"  Angry "  is  strongly  emphatic.  The  antithesis  must 
be  strong  enough  to  point  back  to  kill.  "  Raca  "  and 
"  fool "  are  degrees  of  anger,  and  the  corresponding 
degrees  of  punishment  are  suggested.  You  must  be 
reconciled  to  your  "  brother  "  before  offering  your  gift 
(v.  24).  In  the  new  Kingdom  the  important  point  is 
the  disposition  or  thought  before  the  act.  The  unkind 
deed  results  from  the  idea,  feeling,  or  word.  These 
bring  men  into  the  deepest  fire  of  bitterness.  Offering 
gifts  is  a  mere  mockery,  and  so  is  worship,  without  love. 
The  principle  applies  not  only  to  friends  and  brethren 
but  even  to  enemies.  "  Agree  with  thine  '  adversary,'  " 
—  emphatic,  antithetic  to  brother.  "  Adversary  "  applies 
to  mere  poverty,  ill  health,  or  even  a  headache.  If  we 
cannot  cease  to  oppose  anything,  we  pass  into  the  prison 
of  the  negative,  and  must  pay  "the  last  farthing." 


THE  ARGUMENT  207 

The  next  illustration  is  important.  The  Old  Law 
said,  "  No  adultery,"  but  I  say,  "  whoso  looketh."  This 
word  is  strongly  antithetic;  the  real  sin  is  always  in 
the  heart  before  the  outward  act.  Tolstoi  says  the 
woman  may  be  a  man's  own  wife.  The  battles  of  the 
new  Kingdom  must  be  fought  in  the  depths  of  the  soul. 
The  evil  desire  must  be  overcome  even  if  it  be  as  dear 
as  the  "  right  eye  "  or  "  right  hand." 

The  word  "but"  marks  an  antithesis  all  through 
the  Sermon,  and  should  be  followed  by  a  suggestive 
pause  with  a  change  of  movement,  color,  and  key  in 
nearly  every  case.  The  reader  must  distinguish  be- 
tween the  negative  and  the  positive ;  the  mere  tradi- 
tional external  view  which  was  and  is  still  almost 
universal,  and  the  true  view  here  announced  and  im- 
pressed upon  the  hearts  of  men.  The  Old  said,  "  Do 
not  forswear  (v.  33) ;  perform  unto  the  Lord  thine 
oaths."  "  But,"  —  strongly  antithetic,  also  "  not  at  all." 
We  are  to  swear  neither  by  "  heavens,"  nor  by  "  earth," 
nor  by  "Jerusalem,"  nor  by  the  "  head."  The  Old  said, 
"  Do  not  swear ;  "  I  say,  "  Use  no  idle  word."  The  old 
said,  "  An  eye  for  an  eye  and  a  tooth  for  a  tooth,"  but 
I  say,  "Resist  not  him  that  is  evil."  If  struck  "on  thy 
right  cheek,"  turn  the  "  other."  If  they  take  thy  "  coat," 
let  them  have  thy  "  cloak  "  also.  If  compelled  to  go  a 
mile,  go  two.  Let  all  be  governed  by  love.  Instead  of 
loving  our  neighbor  and  hating  our  enemy,  "  love  your 
enemies "  that  ye  may  be  sons  of  your  Father.  Ye 
shall  live  in  the  kingdom  of  love  and  spirit  and  be 
"perfect  as  your  Heavenly  Father  is  perfect."  Many 
Biblical  scholars  think  the  Golden  Rule  has  by  some 
accident  dropped  out  of  place,  and  should  be  placed  at 


208  THE   TECHNIQUE 

this  point.  It  certainly  makes  the  connection  more 
complete,  but  may  be  read  where  it  is  found,  and  if  set 
off  by  long  pauses  before  and  after,  given  its  real  force 
as  the  colophon  of  the  whole  Sermon.  The  reader  can 
read  it  in  such  a  way  as  to  show  that  it  belongs  to  all 
that  precedes,  or  sums  up  all  that  has  been  said.  Per- 
haps the  Master  used  it  at  both  places. 

Perhaps  the  real  climax  after  all  is  as  it  stands :  "  Ye 
therefore  shall  be  perfect,  as  your  heavenly  Father  is 
perfect ;  "  that  is,  the  new  Kingdom  has  its  ideal  not  in 
the  worldly  ideas  of  men  but  in  the  character  of  God 
Himself.  The  aim  of  the  new  Kingdom  is  not  to  make 
citizens  of  a  chosen  nation  but  to  make  every  man 
Godlike. 

The  Master  applies  this  principle  to  ordinary  reli- 
gious observances.  Do  not  flaunt  "your  righteousness 
before  men"  (Matt.  vi.  i).  Give  no  "alms"  for  show, 
as  hypocrites  do.  On  the  plane  of  their  motive  and 
desires,  they  have  "  received  "  their  reward. 

We  are  to  "  pray,"  not  at  the  street  corners  nor  in  the 
synagogue,  but  shutting  the  door  of  the  sense-world  and 
entering  the  inner  chamber  of  the  soul,  to  pray  to  the 
Father  in  secret.  No  vain  "  repetitions."  The  Father 
"  knoweth."  The  prayer  must  be  tested  also  by  our 
attitude  toward  our  fellows.  If  you  forgive  not,  you 
are  not  in  the  forgiving  spirit  of  the  inner  Kingdom, 
and  the  prayer  is  false.  But  when  you  are  in  the  spirit 
you  can  pray,  for  prayer  is  the  acceptance  of  the 
Father's  love. 

Also  when  you  "  fast "  you  are  not  to  be  "  of  a  sad 
countenance."  "  Anoint  thy  head,  and  wash  thy  face." 
Let  it  be  a  matter  of  the  inner  Kingdom  between  you 
and  your  Father. 


THE   ARGUMENT  209 

Our  "  treasures  "  also  must  be  laid  up  in  the  inner 
Kingdom  (Matt.  vi.  19,  20).  That  all  man's  treasure  is 
really  within  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  "  the  lamp  of  the 
body  is  the  eye ;"  if  "single,"  all  is  "light,"  if  "evil," 
"how  great  is  the  darkness,"  not  "that"  darkness 
which  is  a  mistranslation.  All  is  dark  if  we  are  dark 
within. 

No  one  can  serve  "  two  masters."  Accordingly,  "  Be 
not  anxious  for  your  life," — what  to  "eat"  or  what  to 
"  put  on."  "  Life  is  more  than  food."  Look  at  the 
"birds"  —  the  Father  feedeth  them.  Worry  does  no 
good.  Why  be  "  anxious  concerning  raiment  "  ?  Look 
at  the  "  lilies  of  the  field  "  ;  "  even  Solomon,  was  not 
arrayed "  like  them.  If  God  clothe  the  "  grass,"  how 
much  more  "  you  "  !  Seek  first  his  "  kingdom  "  and 
"  righteousness  "  and  all  these  things  shall  be  "  added  " 
to  you. 

This  division  of  the  subject  naturally  closes  with  the 
thought  that  if  the  real  life  is  within,  all  attention  should 
centre  there  instead  of  on  that  which  is  external. 

"Judge  not"  (Matt.  vii.  i);  the  new  Kingdom  is 
personal.  Its  law  is  personal,  and  the  standards  of 
judgment  must  be  within  ourselves.  Even  the  Master 
came  not  to  condemn  the  world ;  how  much  less  should 
we  set  ourselves  up  as  critics  of  the  orthodoxy  of  men  or 
churches !  Why  regard  the  "  mote  "  seen  in  thy  brother's 
eye  and  not  the  "beam  in  thine  own "  ?  Always  trying 
to  correct  the  faults  of  others  is  a  sign  of  hypocrisy,  and 
indicates  that  we  are  living  not  in  true  consciousness 
but  for  external  observation.  The  sublime  spiritual 
standards  within  our  own  souls,  our  ideals,  must  not  be 
thrown  to  "  dogs,"  nor  pearls  before  "  swine."  Criticism 
p 


210  THE  TECHNIQUE 

and  aspiration  are  between  the  soul  and  God.  The 
spiritual  life  cannot  be  put  upon  a  commonplace  plane. 
To  realize  the  highest,  we  are  told  only,  "  ask "  and 
"seek"  or  "knock."  Then  we  shall  "receive"  and 
"find,"  and  "it  shall  be  opened."  How  do  you  feel 
toward  your  own  son?  When  he  asks  a  "loaf,"  a 
"  stone  "  is  not  given,  nor  a  serpent  for  a  fish.  Even  on 
the  lower  plane  we  know  what  our  children  wish  ;  how 
much  more  does  our  Father?  After  a  long  pause,  the 
whole  may  be  summed  up  in  the  Golden  Rule. 

Then  comes  in  regular  connection  a  series  of  warn- 
ings. Enter  the  "narrow  gate"  —not  the  wide  one, 
nor  the  broad  road,  though  "many"  go  that  way. 
"  Narrow  is  the  gate,  and  straitened  the  way,  that 
leadeth  unto  life,  and  few  are  they  that  find  it."  These 
clauses  should  be  given  very  slowly,  with  the  color  of 
regret.  The  Master  was  warning  those  whom  He  loved ; 
not  pronouncing  judgment  on  those  He  hated,  nor  in- 
differently making  a  mere  statement  of  fact. 

Beware  of  appearances,  "  false  prophets,  ...  in 
sheep's  clothing,  but  inwardly  are  ravening  wolves." 
Look  at  the  fruits.  It  is  not  talking,  but  doing,  that 
shows  what  we  are.  In  the  sublime  warning  at  the 
close  of  the  Sermon  the  hearers  are  divided  into  two 
classes:  those  who  have  the  Kingdom  within, — build 
their  house  upon  a  rock  against  which  rain,  winds,  and 
floods  beat,  but  it  falls  not,  "  For  it  was  founded  upon 
the  rock,"  —  and  those  that  hear  and  do  not,  are  like 
the  "foolish  man  who  built  his  house  upon  the  sand,"  — 
"it  fell,  and  great  was  the  fall  thereof."  These  last 
words  should  be  given  very  slowly.  Then  after  a  pause, 
on  a  different  key,  with  a  more  familiar  and  simple  atti- 


THE   ARGUMENT  211 

tude  of  mind,  the  writer  describes,  almost  colloquially, 
the  effect  of  the  Sermon  upon  the  hearers. 

By  comparing  Luke's  version  of  the  Sermon,  and 
rinding  the  salient  features  of  the  whole,  its  ideas  may 
be  interpreted.  Heaven  must  be,  not  a  place  afar  off, 
but  in  every  soul ;  not  an  outer  kingdom  established  on 
earth,  but  an  inner  one  in  every  heart.  The  reader 
must  feel  that  God  is  in  His  world,  and  "  though  a  thou- 
sand times  Christ  be  born,  yet  is  he  born  in  vain  unless 
born  in  the  individual  soul." 


XXII.     FUNCTION   OF  THE   IMAGINATION 

TRUTH  may  be  conveyed  clearly,  and  at  the  same 
time  impressions  may  be  produced  upon  the  hearer's 
mind  favorable  or  unfavorable  to  its  reception.  Scrip- 
ture is  often  read  in  such  a  way  as  to  make  the  audience 
hate  it,  but  usually  indifference  is  the  worst  impression 
produced.  In  all  such  cases,  any  one  will  acknowledge 
that  the  Scripture  had  better  not  be  read  at  all. 

Art  "does  the  thing  that  breeds  the  thought,"  and 
naturally  implies  the  presentation  of  truth  in  such  a  way 
as  to  awaken  love  for  it.  At  any  rate,  the  Scripture 
must  be  read  as  attractively  as  possible.  The  reader 
must  show  admiration ;  he  must  suggest  the  fact  that  it 
is  something  ideal,  something  calling  for  aspiration. 

The  faculty  which  deals  with  the  kinship  of  things 
gives  insight  into  the  ideal,  sees  things  not  as  mere 
cold,  external  facts,  but  from  the  heart  outward,  is  the 
imagination. 

As  has  often  been  shown,  the  imagination  is  the  most 
truthful  and  truth-loving  faculty.  It  is  the  foundation 
of  all  sympathy  or  sympathetic  insight.  It  looks  be- 
neath all  external  show,  and  finds  the  mystic  heart  and 
spirit.  Without  its  aid,  beauty  and  sublimity  cannot  be 
apprehended,  much  less  can  spiritual  elevation  be  real- 
ized. The  higher  spiritual  truths  are  often  degraded  to 
mere  intellectual  discussion  —  the  sublimest  aspiration 
stated  as  a  mere  fact.  An  idea  may  be  presented 

212 


FUNCTION  OF  THE   IMAGINATION  213 

clearly,  but  at  the  same  time  in  a  negative  and  neutral 
way.  To  correct  such  faults  there  is  but  one  remedy, 
—  the  awakening  of  the  imagination. 

Literature  has  been  divided  by  De  Quincey  into  two 
classes,  —  literature  of  knowledge,  and  literature  of 
power.  The  first  is  concerned  with  mere  information. 
So  constant  and  so  great  is  the  progress  in  scientific 
discovery  that  books  in  any  department  of  knowledge 
become  out  of  date  in  a  few  years.  Hence  all  litera- 
ture of  knowledge  is  temporary.  Literature  of  power, 
on  the  contrary,  never  dies.  Homer's  "  Iliad "  has 
not  grown  old.  Notwithstanding  its  false  cosmogony, 
Dante's  "  Inferno  "  grows  in  interest  as  the  years  go  on. 

The  most  of  the  Bible  belongs  to  the  literature  of 
power.  Nothing  in  all  literature  can  compare  with  the 
sublimity  of  its  songs.  Now  poetry  can  be  appreciated 
only  by  the  poetic  faculties.  Language  is  but  an  appeal 
from  the  faculties  of  one  man  to  kindred  faculties  in 
another,  and  unless  the  same  perceptions  are  awake  in 
the  reader  which  were  active  in  the  writers,  the  Bible 
cannot  be  vocally  interpreted.  Unless  the  voice  shows 
the  reawakened  life,  in  a  living,  responsive  soul,  the  sub- 
limest  poetry  is  turned  into  prose. 

Not  only  so,  but  there  are  many  points  which  show 
unusual  necessity  for  activity  of  the  imagination  in  the 
reading  of  the  Scriptures.  The  aim  of  the  Bible  is  to 
awaken  worship.  Worship  begins  with  wonder,  and  the 
faculty  more  than  all  others  concerned  with  wonder  is 
the  imagination.  This  is  the  only  power  that  enables 
one  to  realize  that  reality  transcends  the  perception  of 
his  outward  eye,  that  lifts  one  above  the  literal  to  a 
renascence  of  wonder. 


214  THE  TECHNIQUE 

Again,  the  Bible  is  an  Oriental  book.  To  read  it, 
there  must  be  insight  into  the  elements  which  belong  to 
the  whole  race.  "  Poetry,"  says  Aristotle,  "  is  the  in- 
terpretation of  the  universal  element  in  human  nature," 
and  the  imagination  is  the  one  human  faculty  by  which 
a  man  in  any  age  or  nation  can  penetrate  through  all 
external  forms  and  differences  to  the  brotherhood  of 
the  heart. 

A  knowledge  of  Bible  customs,  of  the  history  of  the 
times,  the  environments,  and  circumstances  of  a  writer, 
is  necessary  to  give  material  to  the  imagination.  The 
scene  must  be  created  again ;  he  must  relive  the  situa- 
tion, or  the  voice  cannot  interpret  it. 

Again,  the  Bible  is  full  of  an  infinite  variety  of  expe- 
riences, characters,  situations,  and  literary  forms.  All 
forms  of  poetry  are  embodied  in  this  collection  of  books, 
for  the  Bible  is  a  library,  not  a  mere  volume. 

Observe  the  vividness  of  the  pictures  in  the  Psalms 
and  Prophets.  How  intense  the  imagination  of  Isaiah  ! 
Where  can  we  find  more  striking  pictures  than,  "A 
hiding  place  from  the  wind,"  "  The  bed  too  short  for 
man  to  stretch  himself  upon  it,"  "  The  bulging  wall," 
the  "  Burnt-out  firebrand  of  Assyria  "  ?  To  read  such 
passages  in  a  cold,  didactic  tone,  void  of  imagination,  is 
to  pervert  their  spirit. 

Men  are  apt  to  boast  that  in  a  pulpit  their  emotions 
are  genuine.  Ask  a  theological  student  to  read  a  pas- 
sage of  Scripture,  or  recite  a  poem,  and  he  will  sometimes 
say  that  he  cannot  do  it  unless  he  has  an  audience. 
Give  him  an  audience,  and  alas !  his  feeling  is  a  mere 
mood.  The  preacher  ingulfs  himself  in  his  ecstasy  as 
the  devil-fish  surrounds  himself  with  his  ink,  and  in 


FUNCTION   OF  THE   IMAGINATION  215 

forgetting  himself  imagines  that  he  is  lost  in  noble  emo- 
tion, but  such  a  professional  attitude  is  the  very  death 
of  true  feeling.  Feeling  demands  a  specific  picture,  a 
living  scene  created  by  the  sympathetic  energies  of 
the  soul. 

Possibly  no  one  has  greater  need  of  imagination  than 
the  traveller  in  the  Holy  Land.  The  few  scraggy  trees 
which  are  called  Gethsemane,  may  or  may  not  indicate 
the  location  of  the  Master's  agony,  but  even  if  this  is 
the  place,  these  scrubby  trees  cannot  be  two  thousand 
years  old.  The  traveller  must  pause  and  create  the 
scene  out  of  his  own  soul.  The  place  where  the  cross 
stood  is  entirely  unknown.  In  some  places  around  Je- 
rusalem eighty  feet  of  debris  exists,  so  that  the  very 
landscape  is  different. 

Thus  the  emotion  awakened  in  response  to  any  Scrip- 
ture lesson  must  depend  upon  the  imaginative  picture 
in  the  reader's  own  soul.  It  is  well  that  this  is  so,  for 
noble  permanent  feeling  responds  to  an  imaginative 
scene.  The  mother  may  be  so  stunned  as  to  be  unable 
to  shed  a  tear,  or  shocked  into  uncontrollable  agony  by 
the  literal  dead  body  of  her  child.  But  long  weeks  or 
years  afterwards  she  discovers  in  a  drawer  a  pair  of 
little  shoes  or  a  little  coat,  and  you  will  find  her  in  tears. 
Emotion,  to  be  effectively  used  by  the  reader,  must  be 
under  control ;  and  only  emotion  or  feeling  brought  into 
relation  with  the  imagination  can  pass  into  the  realm  of 
artistic  expression. 

One  of  the  most  important  functions  of  the  imagina- 
tion is  to  furnish  the  background,  situation,  or  atmos- 
phere which  surrounds  a  person ;  a  change  in  the 
situation  or  circumstances  may  totally  change  the  spirit 


2l6  THE  TECHNIQUE 

of  a  line ;  an  idea  spoken  on  one  occasion  will  be  deliv- 
ered in  a  totally  different  way  on  another.  The  mean- 
ing of  any  passage  in  the  Bible,  the  significance  of  every 
sentence,  clause,  phrase,  or  word,  and  especially  the  true, 
emotional  response  to  it,  depend  upon  creating  anew 
the  circumstances  under  which  it  was  spoken. 

"  All  good  poems,"  says  Goethe,  "  are  called  forth  by 
an  occasion."  "  In  accordance  with  this  spirit,"  says 
Herder,  "  the  Psalms  have  a  vivid  background  of  his- 
torical circumstances,"  and  unless  this  be  felt  by  the 
reader,  the  vocal  interpretation  will  be  necessarily  vague. 
No  reader  should  be  content  until  he  has  found  the  sit- 
uation and  circumstances  under  which  every  passage 
was  spoken.  Of  course,  these  in  many  cases  are  a  mat- 
ter of  conjecture;  but  careful,  scholarly  investigation 
has  unfolded  definite  situations  for  numbers  of  chapters 
and  even  whole  books,  which  formerly  were  entirely 
unknown.  The  imagination  will  act  more  intensely, 
freely,  and  even  spontaneously,  when  its  action  is  based 
upon  thorough  investigation  and  understanding.  It  is 
the  function  of  the  imagination  to  create  a  living  scene. 
In  the  Psalms  the  situation  is  of  great  importance,  and 
has  puzzled  many  of  the  greatest  scholars  and  poets. 
Many  allusions  and  references  once  known  to  all  are  to 
us  no  longer  intelligible ;  large  portions  of  the  poetic 
books  of  the  Bible  are  still  sealed  to  us ;  we  cannot  find 
sufficient  situation  and  meaning  to  give  their  spirit  by 
vocal  expression.  What  do  we  know  about  the  "  burden 
of  silence  "  in  Isaiah  ?  Countries,  even,  are  mentioned 
about  which  we  know  nothing. 

These  suggestions  at  the  head  of  some  of  the  Psalms 
were  no  doubt  added  later  by  devout  men;  they  are 


FUNCTION   OF  THE   IMAGINATION  217 

full  of  mistakes,  but  are  still  very  suggestive,  and  no 
doubt  record  important  traditions.  At  the  head  of  the 
thirty-fourth  Psalm,  the  king  from  whom  David  fled  is 
wrongly  named,  unless  it  be  possible  that  the  name  given 
is  a  second  name.  Yet,  if  the  situation  suggested  by 
this  heading  be  heeded,  this  psalm  becomes  clearer  and 
more  forcible.  "I  will  bless  the  Lord  at  all  times"  is 
something  for  a  man  to  say  at  any  time ;  but  if  we  put 
it  into  the  mouth  of  David,  when  he  was  without  a 
friend,  when  he  was  compelled  to  feign  madness  before 
the  king  of  the  Philistines  in  order  to  escape  with  his 
life,  or  just  afterwards  when  he  had  fled  into  the  wilder- 
ness, not  only  an  exile  from  his  native  country  but 
rejected  by  the  king  to  whom  he  had  fled,  it  is  much 
more  forcible.  "  The  meek  shall  hear  and  be  glad  " 
may  refer  to  the  outcasts  in  the  desert  whom  he  met 
that  night,  and  to  whom  he  proclaims  peace,  hope,  and 
joy.  Under  such  circumstances,  if  he  should  say,  "  I 
sought  Jehovah  and  he  answered  me  and  delivered  me 
from  all  my  fears,"  this  would  mean  something.  David 
was  indeed  "  poor "  that  night.  "  The  angel  of  the 
Lord  encampeth  about  them  that  fear  him "  was  a 
natural  expression  for  David,  who  as  captain  of  the 
king's  body-guard  had  seen  the  tents  pitched  in  a  circle 
around  that  of  the  king.  Now  he  feels  that  the  angel 
of  Jehovah  has  pitched  the  tents  around  him  though 
he  be  an  exile  in  the  desert.  He  possibly  heard  that 
very  night  the  roar  of  the  young  lions  that  "  lack  and 
suffer  hunger."  "  Come,  ye  children,"  may  have  been 
addressed  to  the  outcasts,  or  the  psalm  may  have  been 
composed  later,  especially  the  last  part,  when,  as  an 
old  man,  he  would  naturally  say  to  all  around  him, 


2l8  THE  TECHNIQUE 

"  Come,  ye  children,  hearken  unto  me,"  while  he  un- 
folded his  experience  as  a  lesson  in  faith,  hope,  and 
trust  to  all. 

In  the  forty-sixth  Psalm  no  situation  is  mentioned. 
The  heading  "  For  the  chief  musician  "  possibly  means 
that  the  copy  from  which  this  has  been  taken  belonged 
to  the  leader  of  the  temple  choir.  "To  Alamoth  "  may 
have  reference  to  the  tune  or  instrument  to  be  used  in 
the  temple  services,  or  possibly  "for  the  maidens." 
This  copy  may  have  been  the  one  preserved,  and 
these  notes  have  come  down  to  puzzle  the  modern 
student. 

If  we  study  this  psalm  as  being  sung  or  written  in 
commemoration  of  the  destruction  of  Sennacherib,  are 
we  not  aided  to  a  truer  realization  of  its  force  ?  At  that 
time  God  was,  indeed,  a  "refuge."  The  ellipsis  in 
verse  4  may  refer  to  the  anxiety  regarding  the  cutting 
off  of  the  water-supply,  which  is  the  most  serious  thing 
that  can  happen  to  a  besieged  city.  There  is  a  "river, 
the  streams  whereof  shall  make  glad,"  refers  to  "the 
Tabernacles  of  the  Most  High."  "  The  nations  raged  " 
may  refer  to  the  varied  costumes  of  the  complex  Assyr- 
ian army.  Those  who  had  witnessed  such  a  great 
deliverance  could  appreciate  the  command,  "  Be  still 
and  know  that  I  am  God ;  "  and  the  "  desolations  "  that 
He  had  made  were  indeed  the  fact  that  He  had  made 
war  to  cease. 

Dr.  Cheyne,  in  speaking  of  two  views  of  Psalm  1., 
says :  "  Neither  view  do  I  myself  hold ;  but  I  would 
rather  that  my  readers  adopted  one  or  the  other  than 
that  they  rejected  all  attempts  to  find  historical  situa- 
tions for  the  sacred  lyrics.  Without  reconstructing  the 


FUNCTION   OF  THE   IMAGINATION  219 

porticoes,  we  shall  not  be  in  a  position  to  do  full  justice 
to  the  inner  glories  of  the  palaces  of  the  Psalter." 

The  conception  of  a  situation  by  a  critic  colors  even 
his  translation  of  specific  words.  For  example,  Ewald 
thinks  that  verses  7  and  8  of  Psalm  civ.  refer  to  the 
great  earthquake  which  took  place  near  the  close  of 
Uzziah's  reign,  —  a  calamity  which  made  a  deep  im- 
pression on  the  national  mind,  as  shown  by  the  imagery 
of  many  prophets  and  psalmists ;  he  therefore  trans- 
lates the  passage  thus :  — 

"  At  thy  rebuke  the  mountains  flee ; 
At  the  voice  of  thy  thunder  they  tremble  away ; 
Mountains  rise  and  valleys  sink 
To  the  place  which  thou  hast  founded  for  them." 

Most  critics,  however,  think  there  is  a  reference  here 
to  the  creation,  and  so  they  give  a  different  tense  to 
the  verbs ;  but  the  ordinary  translation  means  little  or 
nothing.  It  is  foreign  to  the  spirit  of  Hebrew  poetry 
not  to  refer  to  definite  places  and  events.  In  fact,  it  is 
untrue  to  the  spirit  of  all  poetry.  The  highest  flights 
of  the  imagination,  in  dealing  with  a  general  truth, 
start  from  specific  thought  and  a  definite  situation. 
The  true  poet  in  every  age,  like  Antaeus,  knows  that 
he  must  keep  his  feet  upon  the  earth,  or  he  loses  his 
strength. 

In  speaking  of  the  words  of  Jeremiah,  "  Oh,  that  I 
had  in  the  wilderness  a  lodging-place  of  wayfaring  men, 
that  I  might  leave  my  people  and  go  from  them  !  " 
Dr.  Cheyne  says  that  "  one  of  the  psalmists  who  thought 
himself  back  into  the  soul  of  this  prophet,  was  so  moved 
by  this  passage  that  he  amplified  it  in  lyric  verse." 


220  THE  TECHNIQUE 

Psalm  Iv.  doubtless  embodies  the  bitter  experience  of 
some  soul  in  a  situation  similar  to  Jeremiah's ;  and  if  a 
reader,  before  reading  the  fifty-fifth  Psalm,  will  make  a 
thorough  study  of  the  whole  life  of  that  prophet,  enter 
into  imaginative  sympathy  with  some  one  of  his  despond- 
ent moods  in  the  midst  of  trickery  and  disappointment, 
and  bring  all  his  feeling  to  an  intense  realization  of 
these  lines,  he  will  realize  the  true  spirit  of  lyric  poetry, 
and  also  the  true  nature  of  vocal  expression  and  its  use 
of  the  imagination. 

"  Fear  and  trembling  have  come  upon  me, 
And  horror  overwhelmeth  me  ; 
And  I  say,  O  that  I  had  wings  like  a  dove ! 
Then  would  I  fly  away,  and  be  at  rest : 
Lo,  then  would  I  wander  far  off; 
I  would  lodge  in  the  wilderness ; 
I  would  haste  me  to  my  safe  retreat 
From  the  stormy  wind  and  the  tempest." 
Translated  by  DE  WITT.  Psalm  Iv.  5-8. 

The  student  must  in  every  way  endeavor  to  be  accu- 
rate. Though  he  must  consult  many  authorities,  and, 
above  all,  judge  for  himself  from  internal  evidence  what 
was  the  real  situation,  he  must  give  his  imagination  some 
freedom  when  he  comes  to  read.  For  example,  in  this 
fifty-fifth  Psalm,  it  makes  little  difference  in  the  read- 
ing whether  he  considers  the  psalm  to  have  been  writ- 
ten by  Jeremiah,  or  by  one  of  his  contemporaries,  or 
by  a  later  psalmist,  "  who  thought  himself  back  into  the 
situation,"  the  feeling  will  be  the  same  in  any  event. 
The  imagination  will  centre  upon  Jeremiah. 

At  times  a  personal  situation  may  be  present.  In 
reading  the  ninety-first  Psalm,  one  may  see  before  him 
the  worn  face  of  some  poor  woman  upon  her  dying  bed, 


FUNCTION  OF   THE   IMAGINATION  221 

to  whom  he  once  gave  hope  by  reading  the  words, 
"  Under  his  wings  shalt  thou  trust"  That  event  may 
take  such  hold  upon  his  mind  that  it  becomes  a  back- 
ground for  the  psalm.  Such  situations  are  in  accord- 
ance with  the  true  spirit  of  poetry,  which  is  "the 
expression  of  the  universal  element  in  human  nature." 
A  passage  which  has  become  connected  with  some 
great  experience  in  a  man's  own  life  will,  in  spite  of 
all  that  can  be  done,  be  more  or  less  colored  by  that 
experience.  As  he  reads  the  passage,  a  picture  may 
rise  in  his  mind  about  which  he  can  say  nothing  at  all ; 
but  whatever  inspires  noble  emotion  in  the  reader's 
heart  must  be  accepted,  unless  it  carries  one  away  from 
the  genuine  spirit  of  the  passage. 

In  some  of  the  most  spiritual  psalms,  like  Psalm 
cxxxix.,  a  historical  situation  is  not  necessary,  and  might 
hinder  true  spiritual  apprehension.  The  truth  here  is 
universal,  the  writer  being  led  away  from  all  external 
relations  and  simply  unfolding  his  own  experience.  The 
soul  must  turn  inward,  and  instead  of  being  dominated 
by  an  outer  situation,  must  endeavor  to  realize  infinity. 

Too  many  regard  even  the  parables  as  totally  inde- 
pendent sayings  and  stories  without  any  relation  of  a 
speaker  to  a  specific  audience.  A  key  to  the  true  in- 
terpretation of  the  three  parables  in  the  fifteenth  chapter 
of  Luke  is  furnished  in  the  situation  and  audience  which 
are  described  in  verses  i  and  2.  They  were  spoken  for 
the  encouragement  of  publicans  and  sinners,  and  as 
a  condemnation  of  murmuring  scribes  and  Pharisees. 

The  point  of  many  of  Paul's  epistles  is  often  wholly 
lost,  unless  we  perceive  the  situation  of  the  people  to 
whom  they  were  addressed. 


222  THE   TECHNIQUE 

The  imagination  is  necessary  to  appreciate  the  proph- 
ets. Take,  for  example,  Isaiah  xxviii.  Verses  1-6  refer 
to  Samaria.  Our  imagination  must  picture  Isaiah  in 
Jerusalem  pointing  north  to  the  crown  "  at  the  head  of 
the  fat  valley,"  whose  glorious  beauty  was  fading,  and 
indicating  the  destruction  which  his  audience  knew  was 
coming  upon  Samaria.  But  in  verse  7  he  turns  upon 
his  auditors,  to  those  in  Jerusalem,  and  pictures  in  hor- 
rible detail  their  drunkenness.  He  refers  to  the  drunkards 
of  the  north  as  a  warning  to  those  at  home.  Verses  9 
and  10  are  quotations  from  his  auditors.  "  We  must 
conceive,"  says  Ewald,  "  the  abrupt,  intentionally  short, 
reiterated,  and  almost  childish  words  of  verse  10  as 
spoken  in  mimicry,  with  a  mocking  motion  of  the  head, 
and  in  a  childish,  stammering,  taunting  tone."  The  reader 
must  use  his  imagination  to  realize  the  speaker,  the  place, 
his  audience,  and  picture  the  diadem  of  the  north  to 
which  he  refers  in  his  warning ;  and  then  by  dramatic 
imagination  must  identify  himself  with  Isaiah's  drunken 
auditors  and  their  mocking  speech  ;  and  then  the  reader 
must  turn  with  great  intensity  to  a  realization  of  Isaiah's 
terrible  denunciation  of  Israel.  God  will  send  Assyrians 
to  stammer  and  mock  you  as  you  mock  His  truth.  Like 
wild  beasts  you  will  be  "  snared  and  taken."  Your 
"  covenant  with  death  "  and  "  agreement  with  Sheol " 
will  bring  only  destruction.  Your  creed  or  plan  to 
save  your  country  is  wrong ;  you  reject  the  one  foun- 
dation stone  and  arrange  only  destruction,  "  for  the  bed 
is  shorter  than  that  a  man  can  stretch  himself  on  it ;  and 
the  covering  narrower  than  that  he  can  wrap  himself 
in  it." 

The  reader  should  take  this  eloquent  passage  or  some- 


FUNCTION   OF  THE   IMAGINATION  223 

thing  similar  and  study  it  carefully  until  his  imagination 
can  construct  the  scene  and  situation  of  the  prophets 
and  the  great  force  of  their  imagery. 

No  one  should  be  afraid  of  the  proper  dramatic  use 
of  his  imagination,  for  the  dramatic  spirit  is  found  every- 
where in  the  Bible.  We  must  feel  exactly  Simon's  point 
of  view ;  we  must  realize  the  division  of  the  Pharisees 
into  parties,  when  they  questioned  the  man  who  had 
been  born  blind.  Not  only  in  the  dialogues  of  the 
Gospels,  the  stories  of  the  Old  Testament,  in  the  dra- 
matic situations,  in  the  speeches  of  the  prophets,  but  even 
in  the  very  heart  of  great  lyrics  and  familiar  epistles, 
there  is  a  demand  for  dramatic  imagination. 

In  the  reading  of  the  Scriptures  the  imagination 
discharges  many  important  and  necessary  functions; 
the  scenery,  the  home  life,  the  customs,  have  changed ; 
the  reader  must  create  another  age,  and  must  renew  the 
struggles  of  forgotten  races.  To  read  the  words  of  the 
great  prophets,  we  must  live  their  lives,  and  realize  their 
difficulties ;  we  must  feel,  as  they  felt,  that  the  liberty 
of  the  country  was  imperilled,  that  the  sacred  temple 
was  in  danger.  We  must  hear  with  them  the  divine 
call.  Before  we  can  interpret  these  sublime  records  and 
creations,  our  imagination  must  feel  the  hope  which  still 
burned  in  the  hearts  of  men  after  long  years  of  exile, 
and  realize  that  faith  that  knelt  in  a  foreign  land  and 
opened  "a  window  toward  Jerusalem." 


XXIII.     EXPRESSION   OF   IMAGINATION 

IF  readers  find  it  difficult  to  detect  the  presence  of 
the  imagination,  they  will  find  it  still  more  difficult  to 
realize  the  effect  of  the  imagination  on  vocal  expression. 

If  imagination  be  concerned  in  all  mental  action,  its 
presence  must  affect  all  the  modulations  of  the  voice. 
Even  inflection,  though  the  most  rational  and  didactic, 
is  yet  made  more  regular  and  dignified  by  the  imagina- 
tion. Touch  is  more  generic  than  inflection,  and  can  be 
made  sympathetically  responsive  to  any  mental  action, 
imagination  included.  As  the  imagination  is  especially 
contemplative,  we  find  that  pause  is  one  of  its  distinc- 
tive signs.  But  imagination  accentuates  especially  those 
modulations  of  the  voice  which  express  feeling.  It  does 
not  commonly  use  those  forms  of  emphasis  which  iso- 
late, but  rather  those  which  harmonize;  hence  tone- 
color  is  possibly  its  most  direct  language.  In  the 
absence  of  imagination,  the  voice  is  hard  and  neutral; 
while  the  presence  of  the  imagination  causes  sympathetic 
vibrations,  richness,  and  variation  of  overtones.  As  the 
imagination  is  the  primary  cause  of  taste  in  vocal 
expression,  it  excludes  everything  crude  or  unnatural. 

As  imagination  is  an  exalted  realization  of  a  truth,  its 
presence  causes  an  increase  in  intensity,  though  not 
in  the  direct  volitional  modulation  of  physical  force. 
Touch,  inflection,  and  all  voice  modulations  become 
more  suggestive,  less  mechanical,  and  more  harmonious. 

224 


EXPRESSION   OF  IMAGINATION  22$ 

While  mere  volitional  command  of  modulations  is  some- 
times found  in  didactic  and  commonplace  speech, 
poetic  thought  calls  for  greater  decision,  more  intense 
realization,  and  a  direct  modulation  of  resonance  or  tone- 
color.  Tone-color  is  the  modulation  of  the  resonance 
of  pure  tone.  It  must  not  be  confused  with  quality.  A 
tone  may  have  a  good  or  a  bad  quality.  A  bad  tone 
results  from  irregularity  in  the  sound-waves,  a  good 
tone  from  regularity  of  the  sound-waves.  In  proportion 
as  the  sound-waves  become  regular,  their  resonance 
becomes  capable  of  modulation  by  feeling  and  imagina- 
tion. Hence  only  a  pure  tone,  a  tone  with  normal 
quality,  can  show  tone-color.  The  sympathetic  modula- 
tion of  resonance  by  emotion  is  constantly  shown  in 
passing  from  idea  to  idea,  from  situation  to  situation, 
from  emotion  to  emotion. 

Tone-color  is  the  subtlest,  most  unconscious,  and 
most  spontaneous  of  all  the  elements  of  expression.  Its 
function  is  always  doubted  by  the  mechanical  elocution- 
ist, who  cannot  realize  even  its  presence.  This  is  be- 
cause it  cannot  be  made  subject  to  rule.  It  is  the 
direct  result  of  the  diffusion  of  emotion  through  the 
muscular  texture  of  the  body.  It  is  the  language  of 
sympathy,  feeling,  and  tenderness.  In  the  common- 
place business  or  street  voice  color  has  few  changes ; 
but  whenever  an  accident  occurs  and  the  soul  quivers 
with  emotion,  or  when  some  one  shares  a  higher  joy  with 
another,  in  short,  whenever  imagination  and  feeling  are 
awakened,  the  vibrations  of  the  voice  at  once  begin  to 
change.  The  most  delicate  mental  action  will  cause  the 
well-trained  voice  to  vary.  Any  violation  of  truth  of 
color  is  at  once  felt,  though  it  may  not  be  recognized 
Q 


226  THE  TECHNIQUE 

under  this  name.  Yet  no  fault  is  more  common.  The 
first  of  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  is  read  almost  in  a 
tone  of  sarcasm.  Men  are  very  liable  to  let  even  their 
spiritual  earnestness  in  reading  the  Bible  run  into  an- 
tagonism. One  often  hears  the  Bible  read  with  great 
sadness ;  while  some  passage,  full  of  joy,  is  read  as  some- 
thing greatly  to  be  deplored. 

One  remedy  for  all  such  faults  is  the  awakening  of 
the  imagination.  The  development  of  tone-color  should 
be  associated  with  direct  study  of  the  most  imaginative 
passages.  Contrasts  and  transitions  should  also  be 
carefully  observed  and  practised. 

Except  in  genealogies  and  enumerations,  there  is  not 
a  paragraph  or  even  a  verse  in  the  Bible  that  does  not 
contain  some  subtle  transition  in  feeling  or  in  imaginative 
situation  requiring  the  modulation  of  the  sympathetic 
resonance  of  the  voice,  the  most  tender  and  delicate  of 
all  the  elements  of  human  language. 

Take,  for  example,  Luke  vii.  11-16,  and  observe  how 
gently  the  Master  deals  with  the  widow  of  Nain,  and 
how  tenderly  we  speak  the  words,  "  The  only  son  of  his 
mother,  and  she  was  a  widow."  We  gather  up  all  our 
possibilities  of  imagination  and  feeling,  and  give  the  rich- 
est vibration  of  the  voice  to  His  gentle  words,  —  not  in 
the  attempt  to  impersonate  Him,  but  to  reveal  the  impres- 
sion made  upon  us  when  "He  gave  him  to  his  mother." 

One  of  the  sublimest  of  all  poetic  situations  is  found 
in  the  fortieth  chapter  of  Isaiah.  We  can  imagine 
the  unknown  prophet  standing  in  the  midst  of  his  down- 
trodden people,  and  seemingly  gazing  a  thousand  miles 
across  the  sand  deserts  to  the  sacred  home  as  he  speaks 
to  the  people  who  are  like  grass,  without  aspiration  or 


EXPRESSION   OF   IMAGINATION  227 

hope.  Hearing  the  voices  that  speak  to  him  from  afar, 
he  proclaims  his  message.  Founding  his  confidence  of 
their  return  from  captivity  upon  the  character  of  God, 
he  gives  comfort  to  the  exiles.  He  holds  a  dramatic 
dialogue  between  his  own  discouraged  soul  and  God. 
In  vividness  of  imagery  that  in  sublimity  has  never  been 
surpassed  he  illustrates  the  character  of  Jehovah. 

A  marked  fault  in  Bible  reading  is  the  modulation  of 
inflections  to  express  feeling.  This  was  and  is  taught 
by  the  Rush  and  other  mechanical  systems  of  elocution. 
Any  one  who  will  observe  carefully  the  difference  be- 
tween strength  and  weakness  will  note  that  in  actual 
life  some  speakers  express  feeling  by  minor  inflections  ; 
but  such  persons  are  weak  and  lack  control.  Notice 
the  beggar's  professional  whine.  Those  who  feel 
deeply  and  seriously  show  their  emotions  not  by  tremolo 
or  semitonic  melodies,  but  by  the  modulations  of  the 
texture  and  coloring  of  their  voices. 

As  we  have  found,  emotion  makes  very  little  modifica- 
tion of  touch;  it  also  makes  little  change  in  the  inflection. 
Says  Mr.  Gurney  in  his  "Power  of  Sound,"  we  can  say 
"  'I  love  you*  and  '  I  hate  you '  with  the  same  cadence," 
that  is,  with  the  same  inflection  of  voice ;  the  difference 
of  feeling  is  shown  in  the  coloring  of  the  tone.  Inflec- 
tion is  like  the  drawing  of  a  painting ;  the  emotion,  the 
modulation  of  resonance,  is  like  color.  It  is  due  to  this 
that  we  use  the  word  "  tone-color  "  ;  as  a  painter  adopts 
the  word  "tone "to  express  a  certain  relationship  in  a 
picture  for  which  there  is  no  other  word,  so  for  lack  of  a 
word  in  vocal  expression  we  borrow  tone-color  from 
painting. 

We  can  now  see  more  definitely  what  the  ministerial 


228  THE   TECHNIQUE 

tune  is.  It  is  primarily  changing  the  inflections,  touch, 
and  the  elements  of  conversational  form  to  reveal  feel- 
ing, and  eliminating  variations  in  texture  and  color. 
The  remedy  for  this  tune  is  to  bring  in  the  additional 
element  of  the  modulation  of  resonance  for  expression 
without  any  change  in  these  fundamental  elements  of 
naturalness. 

The  function  of  inflection  in  general  is  intellectual, 
while  the  emotions  and  feelings  are  revealed  by  the 
color  of  the  voice.  A  union  of  inflection  and  color  is 
most  important  in  delivery.  Displacement  in  the  func- 
tion of  one  of  these  by  the  other  is  the  chief  element  in 
ministerial  tunes  or  "  tones." 

As  feeling  is  response  to  the  imaginative  or  creative 
action  of  the  mind,  the  adequate  development  of  emo- 
tional power,  and  the  proper  awakening  of  emotion, 
should  be  associated  with  the  development  of  adequate 
imaginative  action.  A  prominent  source  of  bad  vocal 
expression  is  the  neglect  of  attention  to  feeling.  Men 
universally  recognize  the  necessity  for  truthfulness  in 
the  expression  of  thought.  They  would  feel  very 
keenly  their  shortcomings  if  unable  to  define  a  word 
or  an  idea,  or  even  a  principle.  But  the  truthful  ex- 
pression of  feeling  is  not  considered  important,  and 
yet  this  is  the  very  soul  of  vocal  expression  and  the 
most  difficult  and  important  problem  in  the  vocal  inter- 
pretation of  the  Bible.  The  definition  of  a  word  or  idea 
is  simple  compared  with  the  definition  of  feeling  or 
experience. 

The  word  "intellect"  means  "cutoff,"  "separate"; 
the  word  seems  to  recognize  the  fact  that  an  idea  comes 
to  us  as  an  independent  thing.  Feeling,  however,  is 


EXPRESSION   OF   IMAGINATION  229 

something  that  rises  in  the  heart,  and  seems  a  vital  part 
of  ourselves.  Psychology  has  never  been  able  to  name 
and  classify  the  feelings.  One  of  our  leading  psycholo- 
gists says  that  it  is  almost  impossible  to  study  feeling, 
because  if  we  lay  our  finger  upon  it  to  analyze  it, 
it  has  completely  changed.  But  when  we  come  to 
expression,  we  find  that  the  very  soul  of  delivery  is  the 
ability  to  define  accurately  and  carefully  each  emotion. 
If  this  be  not  done,  there  can  be  no  impressive,  or 
even  truthful,  expression. 

Some  preachers  have  but  one  emotion ;  some  have 
none  at  all ;  some  have  two  or  three ;  few  have  a  large 
gamut.  The  innumerable  emotions  of  the  heart  are 
nearly  all  suppressed  unconsciously.  The  study  of  tone- 
color  must  be  associated  with  the  awakening  of  the 
imagination  and  a  command  of  all  the  emotions. 

The  study  of  expression  is  the  real  place  for  the 
study  and  mastery  of  feeling.  Feeling  can  be  educated, 
and  expression  is  one  of  the  chief  means  of  refining  it, 
and  developing  a  range  of  experience. 

Feeling  is  neglected  because  it  is  intuitive,  and  can- 
not be  discriminated  so  easily  as  intellection.  Any  one 
may  see  that  words  express  the  conceptions  of  the  mind ; 
but  the  tones  of  the  voice,  the  natural  language  of  the 
emotions,  reveal  the  heart.  The  universal  neglect  of 
the  voice  and  its  language  of  modulations  is  no  doubt 
associated  with  the  neglect  of  feeling  in  psychological 
studies. 

In  general,  every  idea  may  be  said  to  have  a  feeling 
of  its  own,  an  experience  peculiar  to  itself,  and  there 
should  be  a  corresponding  expression  of  this  emotional 
action. 


230  THE  TECHNIQUE 

A  primary  cause  of  faults  in  delivery  is  that  the 
speaker  feels  his  subject  only  as  a  whole.  The  occa- 
sion, the  position  he  fills,  the  needs  of  a  church  or  con- 
gregation, the  subject  in  general  relation  to  the  race,  or 
the  reverence  for  the  entire  Bible  or  the  whole  lesson, 
these  are  felt,  but  he  does  not  feel  each  individual  idea. 
His  experience  is  vague  and  indefinite. 

A  reader  of  the  Bible  must  develop  a  gamut  of  emo- 
tion, and  this  can  be  done  by  avoiding  all  abstraction, 
negation,  or  neutrality,  and  concentrating  attention  upon 
each  idea.  Contrasts  are  helpful.  One  may  take  two 
ideas  which  are  totally  different  in  their  experience,  and 
give  them  in  opposition.  Some  persons  are  so  monoto- 
nous in  feeling  and  delivery  that  they  express  joy  and 
sorrow  with  the  same  coloring.  The  student  should  be 
made  aware  if  he  does  this,  and  shown  that  he  has 
intellections,  but  not  emotions ;  that  he  thinks  an  idea, 
but  does  not  live  it.  Able  men  sometimes  surrender 
themselves  so  much  to  intellectual  activity  that  think- 
ing becomes  severed  from  all  imagination  and  feeling. 
The  preacher's  ideas  are  often  separated  from  himself. 
Genuine  delivery  is  the  giving  of  a  man's  soul  with  his 
ideas.  Emotion  comes  to  us.  We  can  think  and  sup- 
press the  emotion,  can  eliminate  it,  but  in  so  doing  we 
suppress  the  profoundest  part  of  our  nature.  The  habit 
of  abstract  intellection  is  so  universal,  especially  as  a 
result  of  our  educational  system,  that  these  words  may 
provoke  a  smile  from  some;  but  by  one  who  has  seri- 
ously studied  the  problem  of  delivery,  the  absolute 
truthfulness  of  the  remark  will  not  be  questioned. 

Bible  reading  is  "  the  presentation  of  truth  by  person- 
ality," the  interpretation  of  truth  by  personal  experi- 


EXPRESSION   OF   IMAGINATION  231 

ence ;  it  will  be  seen,  therefore,  that  the  study  of  expres- 
sion is  the  study  of  experience,  of  feeling,  and  the 
realization  of  truth.  All  reading,  all  speaking,  all  vocal 
expression  from  the  point  of  view  of  delivery,  must  be 
simply  the  revelation  of  realization,  and  emotion  may 
be  the  deepest  realization  of  the  man.  Who  can  con- 
ceive of  a  spiritual  life  and  worship  without  feeling  ? 

This  reference  to  the  emotional  element  in  experience 
and  the  importance  of  expressing  feeling  truthfully  is 
placed  here  as  the  most  helpful  means  of  developing 
the  imagination  and  tone-color.  Tone-color  is  the 
primary  agent  for  the  expression  of  feeling. 

It  is  astonishing  how  earnestly  men  work  upon  the 
thought  and  meaning  of  a  passage,  and  how  rarely 
they  think  it  necessary  to  meditate  over  what  was  the 
cause,  point  of  view,  situation,  or  the  emotion  which 
dominated  the  heart  of  the  speaker  at  the  time;  and 
yet  the  feeling  and  situation  are  fully  as  important  as 
the  thought.  It  was  not  merely  what  the  Master  said, 
but  the  way  He  said  it,  that  moved  men.  Passage 
after  passage  in  the  Gospels  becomes  clear  to  us  only 
when  we  feel  the  sympathetic  point  of  view  of  the 
Master,  or  the  attitude  of  those  to  whom  He  spoke.  The 
words  were  often  uttered  to  produce  immediate  impres- 
sion. The  life  of  the  time  has  come  down  to  us  em- 
bodied in  words,  and  unless  we  can  use  our  imagination 
and  dramatic  instinct  to  feel  the  life  of  that  moment, 
we  fail  to  realize  the  import  of  the  passage. 

To  develop  truthfulness  of  feeling  the  reader  should 
arrange  many  short  passages  from  the  most  important 
parts  of  the  Bible,  where  there  is  very  definite  feeling, 
and  should  study  these  in  order  to  apprehend  the  real 


232  THE   TECHNIQUE 

character  of  the  men  to  be  portrayed,  nor  should  he  rest 
content  until  he  can  give  every  one  its  definite  expres- 
sion. He  should  arrange  forty  or  fifty  short  passages, 
and  practise  them  until  he  can  give  each  one  its  own 
emotions  and  character. 

Psalms  Ixxxiv.  and  xc.  may  be  read  in  direct  contrast. 
A  dialogue  such  as  Luke  vii.  35  gives  a  dramatic  con- 
trast in  feeling. 

One  of  the  most  notable  passages  for  the  control 
of  emotion  and  intensity  of  coloring  is  the  account  of 
the  scene  in  the  Garden  of  Gethsemane  (Matt.  xxvi. 
36-46).  The  prayer  especially  must  be  given  slowly. 
The  word  "  nevertheless  "  demands  a  pause  after  it. 
The  situation  should  be  so  intensely  felt  that  the  breath 
must  be  held  in,  and  the  feeling  awaken  and  diffuse  it- 
self through  the  body,  until  the  whole  texture  of  the 
voice  softens  and  becomes  transfigured  by  the  inward 
emotion. 

Among  the  most  intensely  passional  words  in  all 
literature  is  David's  lament  over  his  son  Absalom 
(2  Sam.  xviii.  31-33).  The  close  of  verse  33  must  be 
given  with  great  intensity  and  control  of  breath,  and 
with  vigorous  touch. 


XXIV.    ASSIMILATION   OR   SYMPATHETIC 
IDENTIFICATION 

A  READER  must  give  his  hearers  words;  but  pronun- 
ciation, though  a  necessary  mechanical  prerequisite,  is 
not  really  expression,  for  words  may  be  pronounced 
correctly,  and  the  meaning  and  spirit  of  a  sentence  be 
perverted.  Expression  implies  the  giving  of  ideas, 
thought,  situation,  and  experience.  These  are  expressed 
by  pause,  change  of  pitch,  touch,  inflection,  tone-color, 
and  movement. 

All  of  these  mental  causes  of  expression  have  been 
discussed  except  experience  ;  and  all  the  technical  means 
for  their  expression  except  movement.  Experience  and 
movement  with  imagination  and  tone-color  are  apt  to  be 
entirely  absent  from  the  ordinary  reading  of  the  Scrip- 
tures. Most  readers  are  content  with  giving  merely  the 
meaning,  and  so  eliminate  imagination,  sympathy,  and 
the  higher  actions  of  the  mind,  and  omit  practically  all 
the  modulations  of  the  voice  except  a  pause  and  an  in- 
flection introduced  now  and  then. 

But  important  as  thinking  is,  true  interpretative  read- 
ing demands  more.  The  reader  must  grasp  every  scene, 
and  identify  himself  with  every  situation,  point  of  view 
or  character,  and  express  the  deepest  feeling  of  his 
heart.  The  experiences  of  the  human  soul  are  the  most 
vital  elements  in  expression.  The  higher  the  literature, 
the  more  is  experience  the  theme.  It  is  the  function 

233 


234  THE   TECHNIQUE 

of  literature  to  elevate  feeling,  refine  emotion,  widen  the 
range  of  experience,  and  make  each  one  a  sharer  in  the 
life  of  his  race. 

All  expression  centres  in  character,  and  character  is 
developed  by  experience.  Character  means  a  "  mark  " ;  it 
is  the  mark  or  record  which  experience  leaves  on  the  soul. 
All  expression  is  the  revelation  of  the  impressions  pro- 
duced upon  an  individual  heart.  "  No  one  can  give  any- 
thing to  his  fellow-man  but  himself,"  his  point  of  view,  the 
truth  he  sees,  feels,  and  realizes.  Experience  is  the  real 
life  of  the  man,  and  reading  that  does  not  reveal  it  is 
artificial  and  cold. 

The  greatest  fault  in  expression  or  the  most  universal 
cause  of  faults  is  neutrality  or  the  negation  of  experience. 
This  lies  at  the  basis  of  a  dozen  kinds  of  monotony. 
The  secret  of  the  natural  variation  of  expression  can  be 
found  in  no  mechanical  rules  or  imitation.  All  mechani- 
cal elocution  substitutes  some  kind  of  artificial  manipu- 
lation for  the  simple,  direct,  sympathetic,  and  intensive 
assimilation  of  the  processes  of  human  experience.  The 
only  secret  of  natural  expression  is  life.  No  two  leaves 
of  the  forest  are  alike ;  no  two  faces ;  no  two  voices 
are  alike.  In  nature  everything  has  a  character  of 
its  own.  In  mechanical  art,  a  hundred  buttons,  a  thou- 
sand coins,  may  be  made  exactly  alike,  because  they  are 
externally  and  mechanically  moulded;  but  all  natural 
expression  is  from  within  outward.  It  grows  from 
cause  to  effect.  To  be  natural,  the  reader  must  have 
something  of  the  freedom  and  infinite  variation  of  life. 
He  must  live  his  passage. 

How  can  he  do  this  ?  By  imagination  and  sympathy. 
The  highest  characteristic  of  a  human  being  is  the 


SYMPATHETIC   IDENTIFICATION  235 

instinct  to  identify  himself  with  every  situation,  see 
things  from  the  point  of  view  of  others,  and  share  the 
experiences  of  his  fellow-men.  The  glory  of  man  is  this 
altruistic  instinct.  Sympathy  may  take  many  directions. 
Two  men  may  see  a  large  boy  knock  a  little  one  down 
in  the  street.  One  may  be  led  by  sympathy  to  wipe  the 
tears  of  the  small  boy  and  help  him  home.  The  other 
may  take  the  large  boy  by  the  collar  and  hand  him  over 
to  the  police.  Both  men  are  moved  by  sympathy.' 
Human  beings  cannot  look  on  and  regard  events  or 
sufferings  indifferently. 

This  instinct,  or  whatever  it  may  be  called,  which 
leads  every  one  to  identify  himself  with  others,  and  to 
participate  in  the  life  of  his  race,  whatever  direction  it 
may  take,  gives  naturalness  and  soul  to  all  reading.  How 
can  a  reader  repeat  the  last  words  of  Stephen  (Acts  vii. 
37-60),  recount  the  Jews  gnashing  their  teeth  in  rage, 
see  in  imagination  the  hurling  stones,  and  hear  his  last 
prayer,  "  lay  not  this  sin  to  their  charge,"  behold  him 
gazing  up  into  the  face  of  his  Lord  and  repeat  this 
simple,  sublime  description,  "  He  fell  asleep  "  —  how  can 
any  reader  rehearse  such  events  with  cold  neutrality  and 
indifference  !  No  one  can  do  so  without  crushing  out 
his  soul's  fundamental  instinct  of  sympathy.  Such  re- 
pression and  cold  reading  may  result  from  bondage  to 
a  constricted  voice,  to  abnormal  habit,  to  conventionality, 
or  some  false  idea  of  reading. 

This  sympathetic  action  of  the  human  soul  is  usually 
called  the  dramatic  instinct.  When  this  expression  is 
used  in  its  deepest  and  broadest  sense,  this  term  may 
not  mislead.  Dramatic  instinct,  however,  must  not  be 
understood  as  mere  imitation  of  the  manner  of  a  charac- 


236  THE   TECHNIQUE 

ter  in  direct  quotation,  but  as  a  name  for  that  universal 
sympathetic  instinct  by  which  one  soul  sees  into  the 
heart  of  a  fellow-being,  creates  an  imaginative  situation, 
realizes  some  definite  point  of  view,  beholds  some  scene 
or  event  so  vividly  as  to  become  a  participant  and  live 
for  himself  the  life  of  his  race.  It  is  that  action  of 
mind  or  heart  by  which  every  transition  in  situation 
and  feeling  is  so  intensely  realized  as  to  cause  a  change 
in  expression. 

The  literary  or  objective  embodiment  of  the  dramatic 
spirit  has  already  been  discussed  ;  but  command  of  the 
subjective  or  psychic  dramatic,  the  instinct  of  assimila- 
tion, must  be  carefully  studied  and  practised. 

The  dramatic  instinct  has  been  so  identified  with  im- 
personation that  its  psychological  nature  in  the  interpre- 
tation of  literature  should  be  carefully  studied. 

According  to  the  best  authorities,  two  elements  are 
found  in  the  dramatic  instinct :  imagination,  by  means 
of  which  the  reader  or  speaker  sees  a  situation  or  char- 
acter ;  and  sympathy,  by  which  he  relives  a  scene  or  event 
and  identifies  himself  with  his  conception  of  a  fellow- 
being.  Imagination  and  sympathy  are  always  near 
together;  but  as  dramatic  instinct  they  act  as  one. 

Among  the  functions  of  this  identifying  or  dramatic 
instinct  is  its  revelation  to  the  individual  of  the  degree 
of  his  assimilation.  It  shows  how  far  he  is  really  living 
a  truth. 

Every  reader  of  the  Scriptures  should  carefully  study 
the  possible  gauge  of  his  faculties  and  powers  in  read- 
ing. How  far  does  he  realize  the  truth,  how  deeply 
does  it  dominate  his  faculties  and  powers  ? 

Aside  from   pronunciation,  in  which  man's  faculties 


SYMPATHETIC  IDENTIFICATION  237 

are  more  or  less  negative  or  inactive,  there  are  many 
degrees  or  planes  of  activity.  He  may  read  or  speak, 
for  example,  on  the  commonplace  plane.  We  have  a 
business  gauge  of  our  faculties.  We  ask  our  way,  or 
speak  to  men  on  ordinary  practical  matters,  and  hold 
our  deeper  sympathies  and  ideals  entirely  hidden.  Men 
often  keep  this  plane  of  mere  facts,  it  may  be,  uncon- 
sciously, even  in  reading  the  sublimest  passages  of  the 
Scriptures.  Some  justify  themselves  with  the  idea  that 
they  are  natural,  and  that  to  go  any  farther  would  be  to 
"  put  on,"  and  become  ungenuine  and  affected.  To  read 
the  Bible  or  to  pray  on  the  commonplace  plane  is  sacri- 
legious. "  To  speak  of  God  in  cold  blood  "  will  degrade 
men ;  to  speak  of  the  most  sacred  things  on  the  common- 
place plane  will  not  only  do  no  good  but  do  positive 
harm.  Spiritual  truth  is  spiritually  discerned.  A  man 
whose  nature  is  awake  will  not  speak  of  his  aspirations 
and  spiritual  realizations  in  a  cold,  businesslike  tone. 

On  the  commonplace  plane,  man  looks  on  every 
object  as  a  mere  thing.  A  word,  idea,  or  thought  is  a 
mere  matter  of  fact.  All  imagination  and  feeling  are 
eliminated.  Everything  is  literal. 

When  man  begins  to  see  and  live  for  himself  the  truth, 
he  has  greater  animation,  gives  more  vitality  to  expression. 
He  may  rise  to  the  plane  of  physical  earnestness,  but  this 
is  rarely  appropriate  in  the  reading  of  the  Scriptures. 

He  may  give  a  sentence  on  a  passional  or  a  dramatic 
plane,  both  higher  than  the  commonplace.  He  may 
rise  still  higher  to  an  imaginative  and  poetic  plane. 
But  this  is  not  sufficiently  high  for  the  reading  of  the  sub- 
limest parts  of  the  Bible.  He  must  rise  to  the  highest 
spiritual  plane. 


238  THE  TECHNIQUE 

The  assimilative  instinct,  when  rightly  trained  and 
awake,  enables  a  man  at  once  to  realize  the  plane  upon 
which  a  truth  should  be  expressed.  Many  sentences, 
even  paragraphs,  of  the  Bible  are  upon  the  common- 
place plane ;  but  if  a  reader  cannot  rise  at  once  to  the 
realization  of  spiritual  truth,  he  will  have  no  power  to 
stir  the  hearts  and  consciences  of  his  congregation. 

To  illustrate,  take  again  the  account  of  the  death  of 
Stephen  (Acts  vii.)  and  first,  give  all  as  a  mere  com- 
monplace statement  without  sympathy.  Second,  give  it 
dramatic  representation  and  life,  and  third,  give  it  the 
highest  sympathy  with  a  true  realization  of  the  signifi- 
cance of  the  event  and  its  epic  character.  What  a  dif- 
ference !  The  commonplace  makes  the  passage  seem 
cold,  almost  inhuman.  Why  then  do  so  many  read  it  in 
this  way  ?  Because  of  bad  habits,  of  a  cramped  voice, 
because  they  do  not  dare  to  trust  themselves,  because  of 
conventionality,  and  the  feeling  of  intellectual  propriety, 
or  a  realization  of  the  literal  place  where  the  reader 
stands,  and  not  an  imaginative  creation  of  Jerusalem,  of 
the  mob  of  Jews  or  of  the  deep  significance  of  Stephen's 
great  words  or  of  his  death.  The  dramatic  is  not  satis- 
factory. It  is  too  objective  and  representative.  Noth- 
ing is  satisfactory  but  the  expression  of  the  highest 
sympathy  and  true  realization. 

Again,  the  assimilative  instinct  enables  us  to  realize 
the  character,  experience,  and  mode  of  thinking  of  each 
speaker.  It  gives  the  reader  power  to  see  truth  from 
every  possible  point  of  view,  and  to  interpret  it  by  its 
relations  to  different  people.  This  is  its  primary  dra- 
matic function. 

In  rendering  the  parable  of  the  Pharisee  and  the  pub- 


SYMPATHETIC   IDENTIFICATION  239 

lican  (Luke  xviii.  9-14)  note  the  great  difference  in  the 
attitudes  of  mind  when  we  truly  realize  the  difference 
in  their  characters.  The  Pharisee's  prayer  is  a  cold, 
formal  repetition.  We  do  not  allow  ourselves  even  to 
identify  ourselves  with  him.  We  portray  his  needs  in  a 
negative  way  which  shows  our  disapproval.  The  word 
poorly  translated  "  stood  "  means  he  posed  himself. 

Note  the  marked  transition,  verse  13,  —  the  deeper 
sympathy  and  realization  of  the  emotion  of  the  publican. 
We  completely  and  fully  identify  ourselves  with  him, 
and  yet  not  exactly  in  a  dramatic  way.  We  become 
almost  ourselves,  and  endeavor  to  follow  his  example. 
Then  note  the  quiet  dignity  with  which  verse  14  is 
given,  —  the  epic  simplicity  and  judicial  dignity  of  the 
Master. 

Again,  assimilation  enables  us  to  realize  not  only  the 
right  conception  of  each  character,  but  even  the  right 
attitude  of  mind  in  any  clause.  For  example,  in  the 
parable  of  the  Prodigal  Son,  the  assimilative  instinct 
will  aid  a  reader  to  realize  the  curiosity,  if  not  sus- 
picion, of  the  elder  brother  as  he  approaches  and 
hears  "  music  and  dancing  " ;  it  enables  him  to  realize 
that  the  servant  gave  the  news  joyfully,  but  it  also 
enables  him  in  the  next  clause  to  put  himself  as  a 
participant  in  the  scene,  and  see  and  feel  all  from 
the  highest  point  of  view,  and  express  astonishment 
in  repeating  the  simple  words,  —  but  he  "was  angry 
and  would  not  go  in."  This  is  an  epic  form  of  the 
assimilative  instinct,  higher  and  more  important  than 
the  dramatic. 

One  of  the  most  important  applications  of  sympathy, 
though  one  which  is  often  overlooked,  is  the  passing 


240  THE   TECHNIQUE 

from  a  negative  to  a  positive  attitude  of  mind.  This 
contrast  should  be  definitely  marked  all  through  "  The 
Sermon  on  the  Mount."  When  not  made  salient,  the 
point  of  the  sermon  is  lost.  All  through  the  fifth  chap- 
ter the  speaker  is  negative  before  the  word  "but." 
Even  in  the  quoting  of  the  commandments  the  Master 
is  recounting  what  is  negative.  At  the  word  "but" 
there  is  a  long  pause,  and  the  expression  changes  in 
giving  each  positive  statement  regarding  the  inner 
Kingdom. 

Again,  Matthew  vi.  5  is  purely  narrative,  but  verse  6 
is  a  serious  and  direct  expression  of  one  of  his  most 
profound  truths ;  verse  7  again  is  read  negatively,  it 
condemns  and  does  not  express  sympathy ;  but  in 
verse  8  he  touches  upon  a  great  principle,  and  posi- 
tively brings  it  home  to  the  hearts  of  his  auditors. 

This  passing  from  the  negative  to  the  positive  is  not 
merely  intellectual,  but  deeply  sympathetic  and  spiritual. 
It  can  be  interpreted  only  by  the  true  principles  of  assimi- 
lation, which  give  us  the  key  to  the  highest  spirit  of 
delivery. 

Let  not  the  reader  confine  the  idea  of  sympathy  or 
dramatic  instinct  to  human  beings ;  there  is  a  most  im- 
portant sympathy  with  truth,  for  example :  I  John  3, 
"  Behold  what  manner  of  love,"  and  the  following  words 
contain  one  of  the  most  positive  statements  regarding 
the  spirituality  of  the  Christian  religion,  while  the  last 
part  of  verse  I,  "  The  world  knoweth  us  not,"  is  more 
negative,  and  should  be  read  in  contrast.  Verses  2  and 
3  are  read  with  great  weight ;  they  are  full  of  depth  and 
positiveness.  Verse  4,  "  Every  one  that  doeth  sin,"  has 
a  negative  movement,  changing  in  verse  5  again  to  posi- 


SYMPATHETIC   IDENTIFICATION  241 

tive  sympathy.  It  is  contrasted  again  with  a  negative 
statement  in  the  last  of  verse  6.  In  fact,  all  through 
this  chapter  there  is  a  continual  changing  from  the 
negative  to  the  positive  attitude,  or  from  things  which 
have  been  outgrown  to  positive  sympathy  and  sugges- 
tion of  the  deepest  thought  of  religious  experience. 
The  positive  and  negative  must  not  only  be  contrasted, 
but  contrasted  in  a  way  to  show  that  the  negative  is 
accidental  and  subordinate,  not  brought  forward  for 
sympathetic  approval,  but  only  for  contrast ;  while  the 
positive  contains  the  great  central  truth  of  the  passage 
and  is  given  with  the  reader's  approval  and  sympathy. 

Notice  how  the  sympathetic  or  assimilative  instinct 
must  decide  many  important  questions  in  the  vocal  in- 
terpretation of  i  Kings  xviii.  and  xix.  We  feel  the  neces- 
sity of  sympathy  in  Elijah's  prayer  "Hear  me,  O  Jeho- 
vah, hear  me  that  this  people  may  know,"  for  we  feel 
Elijah's  intensity  and  passion,  his  love  for  his  people, 
and  his  devotion  to  Jehovah.  There  is  something  here 
of  the  lyric  and  of  the  epic,  but  we  are  so  in  sympathy 
with  his  point  of  view  that  there  is  possibly  a  predomi- 
nance of  the  dramatic  spirit ;  but  in  the  next  clause  there 
is  a  far  greater  call  for  sympathetic  identification  with 
the  scene  "  Then  the  fire  of  Jehovah  fell."  The  reader 
here  must  become  himself,  must  realize  not  the  charac- 
ter of  Elijah,  but  the  significance  of  the  event  itself. 
There  must  be  a  long  pause,  a  vivid  imagination,  and 
such  a  sympathetic  contemplation  that  the  reader  re- 
ceives an  impression  as  if  he  himself  saw  the  falling 
fire.  To  read  this  clause  as  a  matter  of  course  with- 
out a  change  in  the  sympathetic  attitude  of  the  reader 
destroys  the  impression  of  the  scene. 


242  THE   TECHNIQUE 

In  the  nineteenth  chapter,  we  narrate  simply  the  words 
of  Ahab.  But  the  vividness  of  the  scene  and  the  in- 
tensity of  our  realization  cause  us  to  speak  dramatically 
the  words  of  Jezebel  (v.  2);  then  we  indicate  our  sur- 
prise and  regret  at  his  flight.  He  who  faced  Ahab 
and  all  Israel  flees  from  a  woman.  But  we  are  not 
antagonistic,  we  have  sympathy  for  him  as  we  see  him 
look  around  and  see  signs  that  Israel  had  not  "turned 
their  hearts  back  again  "  nor  learned  to  "  know."  We 
describe  sympathetically  his  journey  into  the  wilderness, 
his  falling  under  the  broom  shrub,  and  intensely  and 
dramatically  realize  his  prayer  for  death.  We  linger 
sympathetically  over  his  sleep,  and  especially  over  the 
touch  of  the  angel  and  the  food.  We  are  telling  of 
providential  care.  Verse  8  especially  is  given  sugges- 
tively and  impressively.  Our  sympathetic  attitude  con- 
tinues until  we  come  to  the  question  of  Jehovah  (v.  9), 
which  should  be  given  with  great  dignity  and  awe.  It 
is  the  beginning  of  Jehovah's  lesson  to  His  prophet,  one 
of  the  greatest  lessons  ever  given  to  a  mortal,  and  one 
of  the  most  epic  of  all  passages  in  literature.  The  reader 
must  give  something  of  Elijah's  excitement,  intensity, 
and  despair;  Jehovah's  words  are  again  given  with  deep 
intensity,  but  with  an  appeal  to  the  spirit  of  the  prophet ; 
the  description  of  the  "  great  and  strong  wind  "  must  be 
given  with  objective  force,  but  there  is  a  marked  transi- 
tion to  subjectivity  and  tenderness,  with  a  lower  key  and 
a  total  change  in  atmosphere  and  color  in  "  but  Jehovah 
was  not  in  the  wind."  This  must  be  given  in  such  a 
way  as  to  suggest  that  Elijah's  method  is  not  the  method 
of  Jehovah,  and  that  it  is  not  his  plan  to  kill  four  hun- 
dred and  fifty  prophets  and  expect  Israel  to  reform.  He 


SYMPATHETIC   IDENTIFICATION  243 

is  giving  a  lesson  to  his  faithful  servant,  who  has  not 
understood  fully  the  method  by  which  God  wins  the 
world  to  Himself.  "After  the  wind  the  earthquake" 
is  given  with  excitement  and  animation ;  after  the  word 
"  but "  again  follows  a  complete  change  in  the  attitude 
of  the  reader  from  a  physical  to  a  spiritual  plane.  Again 
he  reads  with  outward  force,  "  after  the  earthquake,  a 
fire,"  and  again  with  spiritual  suggestion,  "Jehovah  was 
not  in  the  fire."  Then,  with  a  deep  intensity,  "and 
after  the  fire,"  then  after  a  long  pause,  "a  still  small 
voice."  This  must  be  a  sublime  climax,  and  must  be 
felt  by  the  reader  to  be  not  only  the  voice  of  God,  but 
an  intimation  of  the  gentleness  of  His  method  in  dealing 
with  man,  antithetic  to  that  method  which  Elijah  had 
adopted.  This  impression  must  continue  through  the 
next  sentence,  "  wrapt  his  face  in  his  mantle  and  went 
out  and  stood  at  the  entrance  of  the  cave." 

The  question  is  repeated,  "What  doest  thou  here, 
Elijah?"  with  still  deeper  intensity.  Elijah's  outpour- 
ing protest  may  possibly  be  softened ;  but  his  words  are 
the  same.  The  command  in  the  next  words  of  Jehovah 
to  Elijah  must  be  given  with  tenderness,  especially  verse 
1 8,  which  corrects  the  mistake  Elijah  had  made. 

Such  sublime  passages  can  be  interpreted  only  by  the 
sympathetic  power  of  the  human  soul,  this  human  in- 
stinct that  enables  every  man  to  imagine  and  live  for 
himself  such  a  scene.  The  reader  must  become  a  spec- 
tator, hear  the  wind,  the  earthquake,  the  still,  small  voice, 
and  feel  that  all  applies  to  himself. 


XXV.     MOVEMENT 

ALL  the  modulations  of  voice  are  used  to  express  the 
sympathetic  instinct ;  but  point  of  view,  changes  in  feel- 
ing or  experience,  character,  and  attitude  of  mind  are 
especially  revealed  by  variations  of  the  rhythmic  pulsa- 
tions or  movement.  This  is  the  last  of  the  technical 
modulations  of  the  voice,  and  the  most  important,  but 
the  most  difficult  to  explain.  It  most  directly  expresses 
the  degree  and  kind  of  sympathetic  identification  on  the 
part  of  the  reader. 

Movement  has  been  usually  considered  as  a  mere 
matter  of  rate  or  time.  It  has  been  said  that  whatever 
is  of  little  consequence  we  pass  over  quickly  and  lightly, 
while  we  linger  over  that  which  is  important.  Move- 
ment, however,  does  not  apply  so  much  to  time  as  to 
rhythm,  the  measure  of  time.  True  movement  is  not 
the  reading  of  one  passage  slowly  and  another  quickly. 
A  reader  may  give  a  trivial  sentence  slowly  without 
changing  its  triviality ;  an  important  passage  may  be 
read  rapidly  while  still  suggesting  weight ;  and  a  weighty 
passage  may  be  read  slowly  and  yet  be  made  to  seem 
of  no  importance.  Besides,  stupidity  and  indifference 
move  slowly. 

As  movement  primarily  consists  of  rhythmic  pulsa- 
tions, these  different  aspects  may  be  illustrated  by  the 
waves  rolling  upon  a  beach.  If  we  observe  waves  roll- 
ing in,  we  find  that  they  vary  in  height,  in  their  distance 

244 


MOVEMENT  245 

apart,  in  the  rapidity  with  which  they  roll  toward  the 
shore ;  also,  in  their  different  actions,  forms,  shapes, 
or  character.  Movement  in  vocal  expression  has  four 
points  which  correspond  more  or  less  to  these,  have  each 
a  distinct  meaning  and  in  natural  conversation  are  always 
present  in  some  degree. 

What  do  these  aspects  of  rhythm  mean  ? 

1.  The  strong  or  light  force  of  the  pulsation  corre- 
sponding to  the  height  of  the  wave  indicates  the  energy 
of  the  reader,  his  intensity,  the  degree  of  his  earnestness, 
and  the  depth  of  his  passion. 

2.  The  long  or  short  rhythmic  pulsation,  correspond- 
ing to  the  distance  of  the  waves  apart  is  in  proportion 
to  the  dignity,  weight,  or  the  sense  of  importance  of  the 
truth. 

3.  The  slower  or  more  rapid  succession  with  which  the 
waves  run  toward  the  shore  indicates  the  degree  of  aban- 
don or  excitement ;  the  superficiality,  negation,  triviality, 
or  the  "  uncontrolled  force  of  an  emotion." 

4.  The  form  or  outward  action  of  the  energy  corre- 
sponding to  the  shape  of  the  wave  indicates  the  distinct 
character  of  the  energy  or  the  emotion.     Thus  movement 
expresses  the  life.     As  every  man  walks  in  accordance 
with  his  character,  as  every  animal  has  an  action  pecul- 
iar to   itself,  so  every  emotion   or  thought   has   some 
distinct  peculiarity  of  movement.     There  is  a  movement 
of  sorrow,  of  joy,  of  peace,  of  contemplation,  of  deep 
thought,  of  reverence,  of  awe,  of  wonder,  of  excitement, 
of  love.     The  sculptor,  Barye,  when  starting  to  model 
an  animal,  would  draw  a  little  sketch,  and  in  the  first 
line  of  that  sketch  was  the  movement  of  the  animal.     In 
the  same  way  movement  in  vocal  expression  manifests 


246  THE   TECHNIQUE 

the  fundamental  characteristic  of  any  character,  idea, 
thought,  emotion,  or  experience;  in  fact,  of  any  word, 
clause,  sentence,  paragraph,  oration,  or  lesson. 

These  four  points  all  go  together.  Strong  and  long 
rhythmic  pulsations  with  slow  repetition  indicate  dignity, 
intensity,  and  control  or  calmness.  Light,  long,  slow 
pulsations  indicate  indifference  or  stupidity.  Light, 
short,  quick  pulsations  indicate  superficiality ;  strong, 
long,  quick  pulsations,  great  passion  and  explosion. 

In  every  case,  the  form  of  the  pulsating  energy  or 
force  uniting  practically  all  the  elements  of  vocal  expres- 
sion is  also  present,  indicating  the  distinctive  character 
of  the  experience. 

The  inadequacy  of  time  as  an  explanation  of  move- 
ment will  be  apparent  to  any  earnest  student.  Unless 
the  rhythmic  pulsations  are  lengthened,  their  stroke 
increased,  and  their  character  made  more  salient,  slow- 
ness will  always  be  tedious,  suggestive  of  weakness 
rather  than  of  strength, —  of  stupidity  and  dulness  rather 
than  of  weight  or  dignity. 

Again,  rhythmic  movement  may  be  illustrated  by  a 
walk.  A  man  may  walk  with  a  firm  step  and  firm 
texture'  of  his  whole  body,  with  a  short  stride  or  with  a 
long  one.  A  short  stride  denotes  superficiality  or  weak- 
ness of  intention,  while  a  long  stride  denotes  strength  of 
purpose.  Either  of  these  may  be  rapid  or  slow,  the 
speed  indicating  the  degree  of  excitement,  firmness  of 
the  step  or  texture  of  the  whole  body.  This  indicates 
the  degree  of  control  or  intensity  of  the  energy. 

Besides  these  three  which  are  found  in  some  degree 
in  all,  every  walk  has  also  elements  peculiar  to  the  man. 
The  feelings,  the  thought,  the  present  aim,  the  general 


MOVEMENT  247 

purpose,  the  bearing  and  character  of  every  man  are 
shown  in  his  walk. 

The  reader  must  study  himself.  The  only  cause  of 
movement  is  the  direct  sympathetic  identification  of  the 
reader  with  the  life  of  his  thought.  No  elocutionary 
rules,  however  plausible,  have  been  adequate.  The 
mastery  of  it  requires  deep  study  of  a  principle,  and  an 
endeavor  on  the  part  of  the  reader  to  find  the  inner 
spirit  of  the  passage,  the  manifestation  of  the  life  and 
movement  of  his  own  powers. 

Movement  is  of  great  importance  in  reading  the 
Scriptures,  because  it  enables  the  reader  to  emphasize 
a  whole  clause,  sentence,  or  paragraph,  and  to  bring  into 
unity  all  the  various  parts  of  a  long  passage.  It  is 
practically  the  only  means  of  revealing  the  assimilative 
instinct,  dramatic  action,  the  epic  spirit,  or  of  showing 
that  larger  relationship  and  unity  between  all  the  parts 
of  a  story  or  a  succession  of  scenes.  But  besides  all 
these,  it  is  the  important  element  of  naturalness. 

Illustrations  of  movement  faithfully  studied  and  prac- 
tised will  be  better  than  discussion  to  show  its  nature 
and  importance.  Forcible  examples  of  various  forms  of 
rhythmic  pulsations  are  found  everywhere.  In  fact, 
there  is  no  change  in  situation,  point  of  view,  and  espe- 
cially in  sympathetic  identification  or  manifestation  of 
life,  without  the  presence  of  movement.  The  reader 
should  review  his  favorite  passages  of  Scripture  and 
note  the  presence  of  movement  in  every  clause.  He 
will  find  where  movement  is  all  alike  there  is  a  total 
lack  of  character  and  genuineness.  Movement  is  the 
most  fundamental  element  of  delivery.  It  is  never 
absent  when  speech  is  the  natural  outpouring  of  a 


248  THE   TECHNIQUE 

living  heart.  Search  back  into  all  illustrations,  con- 
trasts, or  changes,  and  movement  will  be  found  every- 
where a  necessary  element ;  but  in  all  cases  it  expresses 
the  sympathetic  identification  of  the  reader  with  a  truth, 
situation,  or  event,  or  with  the  thought  and  life  of  a 
character. 

The  Bible  is  full  of  comparisons  and  illustrations.  It 
is  one  of  the  necessities  of  language  and  literature  to 
use  a  familiar  fact  to  throw  light  upon  a  less  familiar 
truth.  By  change  of  movement,  one  clause  can  be  shown 
to  be  illustrative  and  secondary,  and  another  the  central 
idea.  However  beautiful  a  figure  may  be,  except  where 
the  figure  and  the  thought  are  combined  in  one  as  in  the 
parable,  the  central  thought  is  most  important. 

Movement  not  only  shows  the  opposition  between  the 
illustration  and  the  thought,  but  enables  the  reader  to 
show  the  relation  of  a  long  extended  illustration  or 
series  of  illustrations  to  the  great  central  thought;  for 
example :  in  i  Corinthians  xv.  35-49,  Paul  starts  off  with 
a  question,  which  some  of  his  readers  or  hearers  raised, 
naturally,  as  to  how  the  body  is  raised,  and  after  a 
serious  answer  to  them  he  immediately  passes  to  illus- 
trations, first  of  the  seed,  which  is  shown  by  emphasis 
on  "  sowest "  and  quick  movement,  and  so  on  to 
"flesh,"  "  celestial  bodies,"  "sun,"  "moon,"  and  "stars." 
His  illustrations  last  through  the  forty-first  verse  and 
should  be  given  with  great  saliency  and  a  certain  ani- 
mation and  coloring  of  objective  things;  but  in  verse 
42  the  movement  should  be  very  slow  and  intense. 
This  is  the  central  theme  and  that  toward  which  all  his 
illustrations  have  pointed.  The  reader  must  mark  this 
by  great  transitions  not  only  in  key  and  color  but  espe- 


MOVEMENT  249 

cially  in  movement;  in  this  way  only  can  he  reveal 
the  argument  or  the  broader  relationship  of  the  whole 
passage. 

Again,  wonder  causes  strong,  slow,  rhythmic  pulsa- 
tions. In  rendering  the  healing  of  the  ten  lepers 
(Luke  xvii.  11-19),  the  little  clause  "and  he  was  a 
Samaritan  "  awakens  astonishment,  which  may  be  ren- 
dered by  a  long  pause  after  "  and,"  and  the  rest  be  given 
with  stronger  rhythm  and  with  change  of  color,  pitch, 
and  especially  movement. 

A  miracle  which  is  a  wonder  is  thus  indicated  by  slow 
movement.  In  the  stilling  of  the  tempest  (Matt.  viii. 
26),  to  give  "  and  there  was  a  great  calm  "  with  collo- 
quial or  narrative  movement  would  indicate  that  it  was 
a  mere  matter  of  course  and  awaken  no  surprise.  This 
would  pervert  the  whole  spirit  of  the  passage.  On  the 
contrary  such  a  clause  as  "  when  he  was  entered  into  a 
boat "  or  "  when  he  was  come  to  the  other  side  "  should 
be  given  with  light,  quick,  rhythmic  pulsations  for  the 
sake  of  contrast. 

Note  in  the  journey  to  Emmaus  (Luke  xxiv.  13-35), 
verse  31  is  given  an  abrupt  and  excited  movement  in 
sympathy  with  their  astonishment,  with  a  pause  after 
every  phrase.  Note  also  the  great  decision  of  the 
touch,  "and  their  eyes  were  opened;  and  they  knew 
him,  and  he  vanished  out  of  their  sight." 

Wonder  lengthens,  strengthens,  and  retards  the  pul- 
sations. For  example,  in  Ezekiel  xxxvii.  i-io,  the 
rhythm  of  verse  I  is  ordinary,  while  quotations  from 
Jehovah  are  full  of  weight  and  dignity,  and  therefore  are 
given  long  and  strong  pulsations.  Verse  7,  "  So 
prophesied  as  I  was  commanded,"  is  a  simple  statement, 


250  THE  TECHNIQUE 

and  is  given  rapidly  as  a  matter  of  course,  but  in  the 
next  clause  the  rhythm  begins  to  change  on  account  of 
the  surprise  and  the  wonder  at  what  happens,  and 
"  Behold  an  earthquake  and  the  bones  came  together." 
Then  the  reader  changes  to  quicker  movement  as  indi- 
cating nothing  of  importance  as  he  prophesies  unto  the 
wind  until  the  "  breath  came  into  them  and  they  lived 
and  stood  upon  their  feet,  an  exceeding  great  army." 
This  is  given  very  slowly  as  the  expression  of  awe. 

Approval  is  shown  by  slow,  long,  and  strong  rhythmical 
pulsations ;  disapproval  by  light,  short,  or  quick  pulsa- 
tions. The  supposed  quotation  in  James  i.  13,  "Let  no 
man  say  when  he  is  tempted,  '  I  am  tempted  of  God,'  " 
should  be  given  rapidly,  because  it  is  not  given  with 
approval ;  but  the  following  words,  because  "  God  can- 
not be  tempted  with  evil,"  should  be  given  very  slowly, 
with  weight,  because  it  expresses  what  the  writer  really 
approves.  Again,  in  James  ii.  3,  the  quotations  are  so 
read  as  to  show  a  disapproval  of  such  treatment  of  the 
poor,  "  Stand  thou  there  or  sit  under  my  footstool;  "  also 
the  other,  "Sit  thou  here  in  a  good  place,"  unless  we 
render  the  passage  very  dramatically  and  take  on  the 
condescending  attitude  and  dramatically  express  their 
subserviency.  Most  quotations  are  given  stronger 
movement  than  mere  explanatory  clauses,  because  they 
are  usually  of  greater  weight  and  interest,  but  this  is 
not  always  true ;  epic  emphasis  may  reverse  it. 

The  reader  must  be  careful  not  to  turn  any  principle 
into  a  rule.  For  example,  the  question  of  the  disciples, 
"  Dost  thou  at  this  time  restore  the  kingdom  to  Israel  ? " 
(Acts  i.  6).  We  disapprove  of  this  question  at  the 
sublimest  moment  of  the  Ascension,  and  if  we  follow  a 


MOVEMENT  251 

rule  that  what  we  wish  to  "  disparage  "  we  read  more 
rapidly,  we  would  give  this  very  quickly.  But  this 
question  was  a  most  serious  one  to  those  who  asked  it. 
And  if  we  enter  into  sympathy  with  them  or  give  it 
with  the  dramatic  spirit,  we  should  read  the  question 
very  slowly.  Thus  all  must  depend  upon  the  point  of 
view.  No  rule  can  be  laid  down.  Again,  we  may  give 
something  we  disapprove  with  great  regret  and  this 
would  cause  slow  movement  entirely  independent  of 
disparagement. 

Note  the  relation  of  movement  to  parenthesis ;  it  is  an 
old  rule  that  parentheses  ought  to  be  read  quickly  and 
on  a  lower  pitch.  This  is  not  necessarily  true ;  we  must 
find  a  deeper  principle  in  the  approval  or  disapproval, 
the  relative  weight  or  importance  of  what  is  in  the 
parenthesis.  In  Galatians  i.  i,  "Paul,  an  apostle,  and 
all  the  brethren  which  were  with  him,"  is  separated  by 
the  parenthesis  which  marks  the  deep  throb  and  spirit 
of  the  whole  epistle.  Paul  had  been  disparaged  to 
these  Christians ;  and  this  parenthesis  expresses  in 
strong,  long,  slow  rhythm  his  divine  authority,  "  Not 
from  men,  neither  through  men,  but  through  Jesus 
Christ  and  God  the  Father,  who  raised  him  from  the 
dead."  As  a  parenthesis,  rhetorically,  this  is,  of  course, 
subordinated,  but  in  vocal  expression  it  must  be  given 
with  great  saliency  and  weight.  The  slow  movement 
begins  again  in  verse  3 ;  in  the  second  chapter  of  this 
epistle,  verse  6,  we  have  a  parenthesis  which  is  of  less 
importance,  while  that  in  verse  8  is  more  important  and 
should  be  read  with  slow  movement.  In  Ephesians  ii. 
4-6,  the  thought  flows  along  smoothly  and  naturally, 
but  suddenly  we  find  a  little  parenthesis,  "  By  grace  ye 


252  THE   TECHNIQUE 

are  saved,"  which  is  of  more  significance  than  the  rest  of 
the  passage. 

Movement  is  necessary  to  interpret  similes  and  meta- 
phors :  "  I  will  be  as  the  dew  unto  Israel."  "  He  shall 
blossom  as  the  lily,  and  cast  forth  his  roots  as  Lebanon ; 
his  branches  shall  spread  and  his  beauty  shall  be  as  the 
olive  tree"  (Hosea  xiv.  5-8).  Here  we  linger  with 
delight  over  the  greatness  of  the  promises  and  the 
beauty  of  the  pictures,  and  of  course  show  this  by  the 
movement.  But  there  are  often  passages,  such  as  Isaiah 
xl.  15,  "Behold  the  nations  are  as  the  drop  of  a 
bucket  and  are  counted  as  the  small  dust  of  the  balance  ; 
behold  he  taketh  up  the  isles  as  a  very  little  thing." 
All  these  figures  show  the  triviality  of  earthly  things  as 
compared  with  the  character  of  Jehovah,  and  should  be 
given  with  light,  short,  quick  rhythm,  while  the  verses 
immediately  before  and  following  are  given  with  strong, 
slow,  long  pulsations,  to  suggest  the  greatness  of  Jeho- 
vah in  comparison. 

For  such  contrasts,  changes  in  the  rhythmic  move- 
ment are  absolutely  necessary. 

Occasionally  such  similes,  because  beautiful  in  them- 
selves, are  given  by  careless  readers  very  slowly,  as 
Hosea  xiii.  3,  "They  shall  be  as  a  morning  cloud  and 
as  the  dew  that  passeth  early  away."  These  similes  are 
spoken  of  in  condemnation  of  Israel,  and  should  be  read 
in  quick  pulsations,  which  may  be  vigorous  on  account 
of  the  emotion. 

Again,  metaphors  show  the  same  principle.  In  Prov- 
erbs i.  9,  the  figurative  expressions  "an  ornament  of 
grace  unto  thy  head  "  and  "  chains  about  thy  neck  "  are 
given  with  the  movement  of  weight.  Figurative  ex- 


MOVEMENT  253 

pressions  should  be  set  off  by  pause  from  the  main 
thought.  At  times  these  greatly  aid  the  hearer  to 
realize  the  force  of  the  figurative  language,  and  the 
figure  which  is  given  individuality  and  unity  by 
movement. 

In  Luke  ii.  41-52  the  words  of  the  narration  are  simple, 
and  should  be  given  with  light,  quick  movement.  Verse 
48  must  be  given  with  change  of  melody  and  color,  but 
not  with  great  weight  and  with  no  indignation.  It  is  a 
very  ordinary  question,  but  his  answer  in  verse  49  must 
be  given  with  strong,  long,  slow  pulsations,  on  account 
of  the  intensity  of  feeling,  or  possibly  because  weighted 
with  a  higher  suggestion.  "  How  is  it  that  ye  sought 
me?  knew  ye  not  that  I  must  be  in  my  father's  house?" 
Some,  however,  may  regard  these  words  as  simply  say- 
ing, "  Where  else  should  you  search  for  me  ?  You  know 
naturally  the  place  where  my  interest  is  centred."  This 
is  a  thoroughly  natural  and  childlike  answer.  To  others 
the  words  are  suggestive  of  the  coming  of  Jesus  to  the 
consciousness  of  his  mission.  The  reader  must  decide 
and  not  leave  such  questions  in  doubt.  Movement  must 
give  everything  a  definite  character. 

Transitions  from  one  character  to  another  in  dialogue 
are  often  found.  What  a  strange  contrast  do  we  meet 
between  Christ  and  the  woman  of  Samaria !  (John  iv. 
See  page  182.)  There  is  here  not  only  a  transition  from 
one  to  another,  but  a  gradation,  especially  in  the  words 
of  the  woman,  who  at  first  is  flippant,  and  at  last  seri- 
ous. His  quiet  request,  "  Give  me  to  drink,"  is  opposed 
by  her  question  and  her  attitude  of  surprise  that  a  Jew 
should  ask  such  a  thing  of  a  Samaritan.  The  words  of 
Jesus  also  become  more  intense  as  He  penetrates  below 


254  THE   TECHNIQUE 

her  superficiality,  and  speaks  of  the  "living  water." 
Her  feeling  and  attitude  are  totally  different  in  verses  1 1 
and  13.  The  Master  comes  back  with  slow  and  meas- 
ured seriousness,  up  to  the  climax  "  eternal  life."  She 
is  still  superficial,  and  her  flippant  mood  must  of  course 
be  delicately  suggested  by  the  reader.  Then  the  Mas- 
ter appeals  to  her  conscience,  penetrates  deeper,  and 
probes  a  wound,  "  Go  call  thy  husband."  Then  she 
becomes  more  serious,  but  she  still  attempts  discussion 
and  debate,  now  of  national  prejudice.  Then  follow  the 
serious  words  of  the  Master,  one  of  His  most  important 
teachings.  To  these  succeed  the  deeper  longings  of  the 
woman  for  the  "  Messiah,"  and  last  of  all  the  wonderful 
self-revelation  of  the  Master.  The  spirit  of  the  passage 
demands  that  the  gradual  transition  in  her  thought 
should  be  shown.  The  attitude  of  the  Master  is  pos- 
sibly little  changed  from  first  to  last.  A  measured 
dignity  must  be  maintained,  as  it  gives  epic  grandeur  to 
His  words,  but  the  dramatic  spirit  is  concerned  more 
with  the  woman.  Even  in  her  case  it  must  not  go  to 
an  extreme.  We  can  easily  imagine  the  way  she  said, 
"  Give  me  this  water,  that  I  thirst  not,  neither  come  all 
the  way  hither  to  draw."  But  to  portray  the  extreme 
dramatic  representation  of  her  attitude  in  these  words 
would  hardly  be  possible  in  any  ordinary  Scripture 
reading. 

The  slow  and  measured  words  of  the  Master  in  John 
xxi.  15-18,  His  deep  appeal  to  Peter,  who  had  gone  back 
to  his  fishing,  mended  his  old  boat,  and  is  now  wavering 
on  account  of  his  disappointment,  are  strongly  contrasted 
with  the  quick  and  impulsive  movement  of  Peter's  pro- 
test. The  Master's  words  must  have  stirred  to  the 


MOVEMENT  2$  5 

depth  the  soul  of  Peter  and  lingered  with  him  through 
the  long  days  of  waiting.  The  movement  of  these 
words  must  be  very  slow,  with  long  pauses,  and 
intensity  of  touch,  suggesting  the  longest  pendulum 
possible  to  human  expression,  while  Peter  becomes 
more  and  more  intense  and  excited  and,  of  course,  rapid 
in  his  protestations. 

The  retarding  of  movement  plays  a  great  r61e  in  the 
interpretation  of  the  Bible.  Regret,  sympathy,  pity, 
all  are  shown  by  increasing  the  pauses  and  changing 
the  strength  and  length,  as  well  as  the  rapidity,  of  the 
rhythmic  pulsations.  Who,  for  example,  would  read 
with  a  mere  matter  of  course  movement  the  account  of 
the  death  of  Ananias  and  Sapphira  (Acts  v.  i-n)  and 
not  express  a  certain  awe  by  a  change  in  rhythm  in 
reading,  "  and  she  fell  down  immediately  "  ? 

Movement  is  not  shown  merely  by  contrasts  or  sud- 
den breaks  in  feeling,  for  there  is  a  primary  movement 
in  every  clause  or  passage  which  directly  expresses  its 
character  and  life.  For  example,  note  the  movement 
of  the  Passion,  revealing  itself  in  vividness  of  imagery ; 
and  consider  the  passionate  abruptness  of  the  words  in 
the  Song  of  Triumph  in  crossing  the  Red  Sea  and  the 
effect  of  the  realization  of  this  spirit  upon  the  voice 
modulations  of  the  reader. 

Such  a  sublime  clause  as  that  in  Deuteronomy  xxxiii. 
34,  "underneath  are  the  everlasting  arms,"  is  not  merely 
emphatic  in  contrast  with  previous  sentences,  but  the 
reader  lingers  over  the  significance  of  the  figure,  realizes 
the  omnipotence  and  omnipresence  of  Jehovah,  and  uses 
a  peculiarly  slow  movement,  which  concentrates  for  a 
time  the  energy  of  thought  and  feeling  in  this  clause. 


256  THE   TECHNIQUE 

One  of  the  greatest  functions  of  movement  is  to  bring 
a  whole  lesson  into  unity.  In  union  with  range  of  voice 
and  tone-color,  movement  can  bring  a  long  passage  into 
unity  so  as  to  produce  one  strong  impression. 

For  example,  we  have  a  fine  gradation  of  movement 
in  the  story  of  Zacchaeus,  Luke  xix.  i-io.  The  first 
verses  are  narrative,  are  given  with  light,  quick  move- 
ment, until  the  Master  says,  with  strong  rhythm,  "come 
down,  for  to-day  I  must  abide  at  thy  house."  There 
is  a  movement  of  murmuring  and  antagonism  in 
verse  7,  contrasted  with  the  dignified  but  humble  speech 
of  Zacchaeus,  verse  8,  while  in  verses  9  and  10  the 
Master's  rhythmic  pulsations  grow  stronger  and  slower, 
with  longer  pauses. 

Notice,  also,  how  the  parable  of  the  vineyard,  Mark 
xii.  1-12,  is  set  off  with  a  long  pause  from  the  introduc- 
tory sentence  of  the  writer,  and  another  at  the  close  of 
the  ninth  verse.  The  Master  must  have  paused  impres- 
sively before  He  asked  the  question,  and  then  changed 
His  movement.  The  illustration  in  verses  10  and  n 
also  has  a  different  movement  as  He  passed  from  His 
parable  to  the  application.  But  the  greatest  change  is 
at  the  twelfth  verse,  in  the  return  to  the  narrative 
spirit  of  the  introduction,  thus  bringing  the  whole  into 
unity. 

Movement  is  so  complex  and  mystic,  and  so  often 
misunderstood,  that  the  reader  is  liable  to  neglect  it. 
He,  however,  who  will  take  the  pains  to  study  it  and 
find  in  himself  what  it  means,  will  be  rewarded  with  a 
power  in  expression  and  a  revelation  of  possibility  in  his 
voice  of  which  he  never  dreamed.  Action  is  a  necessary 
expression  of  life.  Language  is  necessary  to  an  under- 


MOVEMENT  257 

standing  even  of  feeling.  He  who  studies  the  dramatic 
power  of  movement  will  accordingly  be  rewarded  with 
deeper  and  truer  understanding  of  his  own  nature,  and, 
especially,  of  the  action  of  his  sympathies  as  well  as 
command  of  the  deepest  and  most  important  element  in 
delivery. 


XXVI.     CORRELATION   OF  THE  VOICE 
MODULATIONS 

THE  six  technical  elements  of  vocal  expression,  pause, 
touch,  change  of  pitch,  inflection,  tone-color,  and  move- 
ment, are  so  few  in  number,  simple  in  character,  and 
delicate  in  meaning,  that  there  is  a  universal  tendency 
to  slight  them.  Indeed,  some  of  them  are  entirely  over- 
looked. One  reason  for  this  is  that  they  occur  simul- 
taneously, and  to  accentuate  one  of  them  beyond  the 
possibility  of  union  with  the  others  constitutes  a  serious 
fault.  Naturalness  must  always  consist  in  the  harmoni- 
ous union  of  them  all. 

The  reader  of  the  Scriptures  must  study  their  rela- 
tions to  one  another  and  their  union,  and  become  con- 
scious that  they  are  simultaneously  caused  by  the 
thought  or  feeling,  as  the  leaves  and  flowers  of  the 
plant  grow  out  of  the  parent  stem.  He  should  note 
that  all  faults  of  vocal  expression  result  from  their 
wrong  use,  their  wrong  coordination,  or  the  exaggera- 
tion of  one  at  the  expense  of  others.  The  nobler  the 
vocal  expression,  the  greater  the  unity  and  coordination 
of  all  these  modulations. 

It  is  highly  important  to  note  some  of  the  relations 
of  these  to  one  another,  for  as  all  the  variety  of  colors 
in  the  world  depends  upon  the  combination  of  the  few 
primary  colors,  so  all  the  effects  of  vocal  expression 

258 


VOICE  MODULATIONS  259 

depend  upon  the  simultaneous  union  of  these  funda- 
mental modulations. 

Note  the  relation  of  pause  to  change  of  pitch.  Pause 
is  an  element  of  rhythm,  change  of  pitch  an  element 
of  melody.  If  we  pause  without  change  of  pitch,  we 
show  hesitation.  If  we  change  pitch  without  pause, 
chaos  follows.  Together  they  coordinate  rhythm  and 
form,  force  and  thought,  attention  and  discrimination. 
The  degree  of  change  of  pitch  must  justify  the  length 
of  the  pause. 

Again,  note  the  relation  of  touch  to  inflection.  Touch 
is  an  element  of  rhythm ;  inflection  a  primary  element 
of  form ;  and  the  union  of  these  two  coordinates  the 
control  of  force,  and  concentration  of  the  mind,  with 
the  reader's  attitude  toward  the  truth,  or  his  audience, 
or  the  relation  of  one  idea  to  another.  Whenever  touch 
and  inflection  come  together  we  feel  the  centre  of  atten- 
tion, and  at  the  same  time  the  mental  attitude.  Not 
only  do  these  come  together  —  to  the  ear  they  are 
always  united  —  it  is  difficult  to  separate  them.  Reci- 
tative in  music  is  touch  without  inflection.  There  can 
hardly  be  such  a  thing  as  inflection  independent  of 
touch  in  natural  speech ;  but  each  can  be  accentuated, 
and  they  are  distinct  in  meaning.  Touch  manifests  the 
decision  of  execution,  the  definiteness  of  conviction,  the 
control  of  feeling,  breath,  or  the  vocal  conditions  by 
the  will.  Touch  shows  the  specific  centre  and  focus  of 
the  attention,  while  inflection  shows  the  relation  of  those 
centres  to  purpose,  to  other  ideas,  and  to  the  whole 
situation. 

The  relation  of  inflection  to  color  should  be  noted. 
Here  we  have  the  union  of  thought  and  feeling.  Where 


260  THE   TECHNIQUE 

feeling  usurps  the  place  of  thought,  we  have  sing-song, 
or  some  form  of  "  ministerial  tune."  Where  thought 
usurps  the  place  of  feeling,  we  have  an  entire  absence 
of  color  in  the  voice.  Hegel  says  that  "  a  strong  man 
is  one  whose  thought  and  emotion  are  balanced  by  will." 
"  The  consentaneity  of  thought  and  feeling,"  to  use 
Professor  Dowden's  word,  is  the  chief  element,  not  only 
of  all  true  eloquence  and  art,  but  especially  of  nobility 
in  vocal  expression. 

Observe  the  relation  between  pause  and  inflection. 
As  inflection  is  a  most  intellectual  method  of  emphasis, 
an  emphatic  pause  introduced  after  a  long  inflection 
unites  with  this  a  deeper  contemplation,  and  thus  gives 
greater  dignity  and  weight  to  this  otherwise  coldly 
intellectual  and  didactic  method  of  emphasis.  Color 
may  also  be  used  simultaneously,  expressing  many 
shades  of  imagination  and  feeling.  An  emphatic  pause 
follows  the  emphatic  word,  and  when  followed  by  sub- 
ordination may  be  given  with  great  effect  in  the  very 
midst  of  a  phrase ;  but  without  salient  inflections,  with- 
out change  of  pitch  and  subordination  of  form,  such  a 
pause  or  any  extreme  modulation  of  color  would  be  not 
emphatic  but  chaotic. 

The  last  element  of  vocal  expression  that  has  been 
enumerated  is  movement,  or  the  expressive  modulation 
of  the  rhythmic  pulsations.  Movement  displaces  no 
other  expressive  element,  but  coordinates  with  all,  caus- 
ing their  accentuation  and  higher  unity.  In  fact,  it 
makes  the  other  modulations  of  the  voice  freer  and 
more  expressive.  The  highest  plane  of  movement  is 
such  a  mysterious  union  of  all  elements  of  expression 
that  they  are  lost  in  the  natural  and  noble  interpretation 


VOICE  MODULATIONS  261 

produced.  It  is  the  supreme  element  of  harmony,  yet 
like  all  true  elements  of  harmony,  it  hides  itself  and  is 
apt  to  be  overlooked. 

All  the  elementary  modulations  are  mutually  helpful, 
in  fact,  essential  to  one  another.  They  blend  as  har- 
moniously as  the  features  of  the  face,  and  when  one  is 
isolated  or  omitted,  the  harmony,  naturalness,  expres- 
siveness, and  beauty  of  all  are  destroyed.  As  will 
be  shown  later,  we  have  here  a  test  of  the  dignity, 
naturalness,  and  nobility  of  these  elements  and  of  their 
elemental  character.  To  many,  loudness  is  one  of  the 
most  important  elements  of  expression ;  they  consider  it 
the  indication  of  earnestness.  But  we  find  it  will  not 
combine  with  other  modulations.  It  eliminates  touch, 
change  of  pitch,  inflection,  color,  and  movement,  and 
renders  every  other  modulation,  except  in  a  crude 
degree,  impossible.  It  must  thus  be  recognized  as  a  me- 
chanical or  abnormal  element  of  delivery.  The  degree 
of  loudness  is  determined  by  the  size  of  the  audience 
or  the  demonstrativeness  of  the  speaker.  It  sometimes 
measures  the  degree  of  abandon  to  animal  impulse,  and 
is  nearly  always  a  sign  of  physical  extravagance  and 
chaos. 

Other  things  being  equal,  dignity  of  expression  and 
earnestness  must  be  obtained  by  inflection,  change  of 
pitch,  —  that  is,  by  increase  of  range,  —  and  by  pause 
and  touch,  the  rhythmic  elements  of  expression. 

These  elements  of  delivery  are  legitimate  and  normal, 
for  any  one  of  them  can  be  enlarged  and  accentuated 
to  any  degree  in  sympathetic  union.  A  more  decided 
touch,  a  longer  inflection,  an  emphatic  pause,  a  slower 
movement,  and  a  more  intense  texture  and  color, — 


262  THE  TECHNIQUE 

these  show  how  crude  and  immature  are  loud,  short, 
and  sudden  explosions.  This  is  especially  shown  us 
in  Bible  reading.  Here  we  feel  the  lack  of  dignity  of 
declamation,  its  unnaturalness,  its  lack  of  impressive- 
ness  —  in  fact,  its  power  to  degrade  and  destroy  every 
noble  impression. 

In  fact,  there  are  two  kinds  of  earnestness :  energy 
of  body,  which  may  be  shown  by  loudness,  and  inten- 
sity of  thought  and  feeling,  sincerity  and  weight  of 
ideas,  revealed  by  coordination,  accentuation  and  higher 
union  of  the  simple  modulations  of  everyday  speech. 

The  harmonious  coordination  and  right  use  of  these 
primary  modulations  of  the  voice  may  be  better  under- 
stood by  some  studies  into  the  nature  of  emphasis. 

The  word  "  emphasis  "  has  been  used  in  many  senses. 
To  some  it  is  a  synonym  of  all  expression.  This  view 
naturally  arises  from  the  fact  that  emphasis  is  at  pres- 
ent the  only  universally  recognized  element  of  delivery. 
Others  use  the  word  loosely  for  the  giving  of  any  word 
or  phrase  greater  prominence  by  any  means  whatever. 
To  still  others  it  means  the  modulation  of  inflection,  in 
order  to  show  the  essential  meaning  or  argument  of 
a  passage.  The  word  is  overworked  in  elocution,  and, 
owing  to  its  extravagant,  one-sided,  or  perverted  use, 
the  real  meaning  of  emphasis  has  been  lost. 

Is  the  real  nature  of  delivery  understood,  even  by 
educated  men  ?  The  pride  some  scholars  take  in  their 
poor  delivery  seems  to  indicate  a  doubt.  Some  have  so 
little  grasp  of  its  fundamental  principle  that  they  still 
regard  it  as  a  matter  of  imitation.  Truly,  ours  is  not  an 
artistic  age,  nor  are  our  universities  homes  of  art. 

If  the  nature  of  vocal   expression   were   adequately 


VOICE   MODULATIONS  263 

realized,  there  would  be  a  word  for  the  idea  of  making 
salient  the  centres  of  attention  in  each  phrase ;  another 
to  manifest  the  greater  centres  in  sentences  and  para- 
graphs, or  for  the  leading  points  in  the  argument ;  and 
still  another  word  to  stand  for  increase  in  the  degree  of 
saliency  of  any  specific  idea.  "  Emphasis  "  has  had  to 
serve  for  all  these,  and  often  for  all  other  ideas  of  delivery 
as  men  have  understood  or  misunderstood  them. 

If  the  use  of  the  word  "  emphasis  "  is  vague,  when  we 
come  to  study  definitions  of  emphasis  we  are  still  more 
in  confusion.  It  is  defined  as  "  a  greater  stress  of  voice 
placed  upon  a  word  or  syllable."  This  implies  that 
touch  is  the  only  method  of  emphasis.  All  systems  of 
elocution  have  made  some  one  element  of  expression  — 
with  some  it  has  been  inflection,  with  others  stress  — 
the  exclusive  method. 

Emphasis,  from  the  origin  of  the  word,  and  its  use  in 
everyday  life,  seems  to  refer  to  an  unusual  prominence 
given  to  a  word  or  idea,  a  sentence  or  thought ;  and  this 
prominence  is  given  it  by  the  accentuation  of  some  one 
of  the  primary  modulations  of  the  voice,  or  some  com- 
bination of  them.  Methods  of  emphasis,  therefore,  are 
practically  infinite,  and  should  be  studied  in  connection 
with  the  proper  coordination  of  these  primary  modula- 
tions. The  student  should  endeavor  to  accentuate  each 
of  these  in  isolation,  to  gain  a  sense  of  the  distinct  value 
of  it,  and  then  he  should  practise  accentuating  it  in 
union  with  all  these  modulations  in  various  degrees,  that 
he  may  feel  something  of  the  expressive  power  possessed 
by  the  human  voice. 

True  prominence  or  emphasis  is  given  to  a  word  or 
an  idea  by  some  accentuation  of  one  of  these  primary 


264  THE  TECHNIQUE 

modulations.  Any  one  of  them  may  at  times  be  made 
extremely  pronounced  without  destroying  their  harmo- 
nious union  or  naturalness. 

There  are  certain  natural  combinations  of  these  modu- 
lations ;  for  example,  pause  and  touch  are  elements  of 
rhythm,  and  the  accentuation  of  these  expresses  and 
accentuates  rhythmic  pulsations  of  thinking. 

The  union  of  inflection  and  change  of  pitch  constitutes 
speech-form  or  melody.  The  accentuation  of  this  natu- 
ral conversational  form,  that  is  the  extending  of  it 
through  a  greater  range  of  voice,  the  making  of  the 
central  inflection  long  and  increasing  the  changes  of 
pitch,  constitutes  the  chief  intellectual  method  of  em- 
phasis. It  appeals  to  the  understanding.  It  affirms, 
not  only  the  concentration  of  the  mind  upon  each  idea, 
but  shows  the  relation  of  one  idea  to  another,  or  of  the 
thought  to  the  speaker's  convictions,  or  to  his  purpose. 
It  will,  of  course,  be  necessarily  united  with  some  ac- 
centuation of  the  pause  and  touch.  It  can,  however,  be 
accentuated  without  any  unusual  increase  of  these  other 
elements. 

Again,  each  successive  form  or  phrase  can  be  greatly 
separated  from  the  preceding  by  pitch,  and  the  various 
conversational  forms  be  given  in  various  parts  of  the 
voice  in  such  a  way  as  greatly  to  extend  the  range  of 
the  voice.  A  modulation  of  these  gives  emphasis  to  the 
argument,  to  the  real  central  thoughts  or  points,  gives 
the  relative  value  to  ideas  and  great  intellectual  inter- 
pretative value. 

Color  and  movement  deal  more  with  imagination, 
feeling,  and  the  deeper  sympathies.  These  can  empha- 
size changes  in  situation,  point  of  view,  character,  and 


VOICE   MODULATIONS  265 

show  a  sudden  transition  of  passion,  and  all  the  varia- 
tions of  experience.  They  serve  especially  to  give  the 
atmosphere  and  movement  of  a  whole  passage.  Both 
rhythm  and  melody  should  be  emphasized,  not  only  by 
increasing  the  pauses  and  the  rhythmic  pulsation,  but 
by  introducing  emphatic  pauses  after  an  emphatic  word 
with  a  still  greater  subordination  of  the  subordinate 
clause  which  follows.  This  adds  to  the  cold,  intellectual 
emphasis  of  inflection  an  element  of  dignity  and  weight. 
The  emphatic  pause  is  meditative  and  spiritual,  and  is 
of  great  importance  to  the  interpreting  of  a  scriptural 
passage.  Again,  we  may  say  that  the  union  of  color 
and  movement  with  this  is  absolutely  necessary. 

The  introduction  of  color  expresses  the  presence  of 
imagination  and  the  higher  feelings,  and  movement  a 
deep  sympathetic  realization  of  the  character  and  life, 
without  interfering  with  the  emphasis  of  the  thought. 

It  is  unnatural  to  individualize  and  overwork  some 
one  element,  like  stress  or  inflection,  as  is  nearly  always 
the  case. 

The  primary  method  of  emphasis  in  conversation  as 
seen  in  individual  phrases  is  the  accentuation  of  the  cen- 
tre of  attention  by  increasing  the  length  of  the  central 
inflection.  We  have  already  found  that  the  centre 
of  attention  is  marked  by  change  in  the  direction  of 
inflection.  Unusual  importance  may  be  given  to  this 
by  increasing  the  length  of  the  inflection. 

Side  by  side  with  this  length  of  inflection,  either  be- 
fore a  word  or  more  often  after  it,  in  the  very  midst  of 
a  phrase  a  pause  may  be  introduced  by  the  reader  for 
the  sake  of  still  greater  emphasis.  Extension  in  time 
by  the  emphatic  pause  appeals  to  the  imagination,  and 


266  THE  TECHNIQUE 

secures  a  fuller  perception  of  the  importance  of  an  idea. 
An  inflection  may  be  lengthened  to  dominate  intellec- 
tually another's  attention,  and  may  be  undignified ;  but 
the  extension  of  the  pause  can  hardly  be  undignified, 
for  it  accentuates  spiritual  weight.  For  this  reason,  it 
demands  serious  consideration  from  the  Bible  reader. 

Again,  there  may  be  an  unusual  change  of  pitch.  A 
reader  or  speaker  may  give  a  wider  range  of  voice  in 
speaking  a  single  phrase,  but  more  especially  in  a  suc- 
cession of  phrases,  by  a  great  increase  of  sound  and 
change  of  key. 

Change  of  pitch  and  increase  of  the  range  of  voice, 
united  to  decision  of  touch  and  straight  inflections,  form 
the  most  dignified  and  rational  method  of  emphasis.  It 
must  accompany  all  others.  No  other,  such  as  color, 
pause,  change  of  key  or  movement,  must  displace  it. 

An  unusual  change  of  key,  indicating  a  sudden  and 
extraordinary  transition  in  thought,  situation,  or  feeling, 
is  important  and  very  frequent  in  reading  the  Scriptures. 
For  example,  in  passing  from  any  one  of  the  speeches 
in  Acts  to  the  descriptive  clause  following,  there  is  such 
an  unusual  change. 

In  such  cases,  practically  all  the  modulations  change, 
but  the  change  of  key  is  perhaps  most  important.  Un- 
less the  reader  can  command  this,  he  is  very  sure  not  to 
change  movement  or  color.  Usually  also  an  unusual 
change  of  pitch  is  associated  with  an  unusual  pause. 
There  seems  to  be  an  instinctive  proportion  between 
different  modulations. 

Changes  in  feeling,  imagination,  or  situation  are  natu- 
rally emphasized  by  changes  in  tone-color.  Unhappily, 
changes  in  resonance  are  unusual  among  preachers. 


VOICE  MODULATIONS  267 

The  cause  of  this  may  be  lack  of  imagination,  of  refine- 
ment, of  culture,  or  of  spiritual  feeling ;  but  more 
frequently  it  results  from  lack  of  control  over  emotion, 
or  command  over  the  voice,  or  is  due  to  mere  habit.  A 
command  of  vocal  coloring  means  a  command  of  feeling 
and  imagination.  It  will  not  introduce  nor  cause  a  min- 
isterial tune ;  but  when  combined  and  coordinated  with 
form,  will  correct  the  ministerial  tune. 

Tone-color  is  occasionally  used  to  give  emphasis  to 
an  individual  word.  For  example,  when  Mary  Magda- 
lene was  standing  at  the  tomb  weeping,  and  some  one 
spoke  to  her,  "  She,  supposing  him  to  be  the  gardener  " 
(John  xx.  15,  1 6),  poured  out  her  grief:  "They  have 
taken  away  my  Lord,  and  I  know  not  where  they  have 
laid  him."  With  a  total  misconception  of  her  Master, 
of  her  own  low  condition  in  common  with  the  disciples, 
she  is  suddenly  awakened  to  a  realization  of  the  truth 
by  the  Master's  utterance  of  the  one  word  "  Mary ! " 
Perhaps  the  adequate  expression  of  this  one  word  is  the 
most  difficult  problem  in  the  vocal  interpretation  of  the 
New  Testament.  There  is  no  modulation  of  the  voice 
which  can  in  any  sense  give  its  wonderful  significance 
except  tone-color.  Our  sympathetic  realization  of  His 
appeal,  His  call  awakening  her  deeper  faith  and  spirit 
from  its  material  sorrow  over  a  material  body  which  she 
had  called  her  Lord,  to  a  higher  spiritual  truth  and 
sense  of  the  Divine,  can  be  indicated  only  by  the  diffu- 
sion of  emotion  through  the  body,  by  the  softening  of 
the  texture  of  the  muscles.  The  whole  man,  in  short, 
spirit,  soul,  and  body,  must  be  modulated  to  afford  the 
least  suggestion  of  even  our  sense  of  the  meaning  that 
lies  back  of  the  word. 


268  THE   TECHNIQUE 

Hardly  less  difficult,  and  hardly  less  forcible  as  an 
illustration  of  tone-color,  is  her  answer,  "  Rabboni !  "  It 
was  an  awakening  of  soul  possibly  more  important  than 
the  awakening  which  took  place  when  the  devils  were 
cast  out  of  this  woman  who  has  been  considered  by  all 
as  a  typical  example  of  an  awakened  and  reclaimed  soul. 

Such  cases,  however,  are  not  frequent.  Less  than 
any  other  modulation  of  the  voice  is  tone-color  used  to 
express  or  to  impress  the  force  of  an  individual  word. 
Its  chief  function  is  to  show  the  atmosphere  of  the 
whole  situation,  the  general  current  and  transition  of 
feeling,  the  deeper  shades  and  changes  in  the  most 
spiritual  emotion. 

Movement,  or  the  modulation  of  rhythm,  is  one  of  the 
most  important  of  all  methods  of  emphasis.  More  than 
any  other  modulation,  it  can  show  the  relative  impor- 
tance of  different  clauses  and  even  paragraphs.  It  ex- 
presses the  action  or  character  of 'a  whole  passage  or 
book.  It  can  make  one  sentence  stand  as  the  climax 
of  a  whole  address,  the  fundamental  proposition  in  a 
long  discussion,  or  the  chief  event  in  a  story. 

In  the  story  of  the  healing  of  the  ten  lepers  (Luke  xvii. 
11-20)  the  ordinary  narrative  spirit  is  present,  but  after 
the  account  of  the  only  one  who  returned  and  fell  upon 
his  face  to  give  thanks,  we  have  a  little  clause,  "  And  he 
was  a  Samaritan."  This  is  doubly  suggestive  and  im- 
pressive. With  a  long  pause  after  the  word  "and" 
the  whole  clause  should  be  given  with  a  movement  of 
surprise,  and  in  this  way  the  important  statement  can  be 
emphasized  ;  otherwise  it  is  likely  to  be  overlooked.  An 
emphatic  pause,  such  as  that  after  the  word  "and,"  is 
usually  associated  with  change  of  movement. 


VOICE  MODULATIONS  269 

Without  the  power  to  change  movement,  readers  are 
liable  to  give  the  fact  that  John  was  dressed  in  camel's 
hair,  and  ate  locusts  and  wild  honey,  the  same  importance 
as  his  message,  "  Repent,  for  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven 
is  at  hand." 

Color  and  movement  always  go  together,  and  thus 
form  the  highest,  though  most  frequently  forgotten, 
elements  in  expressing  or  emphasizing  the  spirit  of  a 
whole  passage.  Together  they  can  be  used  to  bring 
harmony  out  of  variety.  Ideas  which  may  seem  chaotic 
may  be  brought  into  unity  on  the  one  hand ;  and  on  the 
other,  in  what  seems  a  monotonous  and  prosy  statement  of 
facts,  deeper  and  sublimer  contrasts  may  be  shown. 

Thus  any  modulation  of  the  voice  may  be  accentuated 
for  the  purpose  of  emphasis.  As  the  function  of  each 
modulation  of  expression  is  different  from  those  of  all 
others,  so  the  accentuation  of  each  one,  for  the  purposes 
of  emphasis,  causes  a  different  impression.  As  all  these 
elements  are  coordinated  in  ordinary  expression,  they 
are  coordinated  also  in  emphasis,  although  emphasis 
may  be  the  accentuation  of  some  one  of  them  for  the 
purpose  of  increasing  an  impression  or  awakening  a 
new  aspect  or  point  of  view  toward  the  truth ;  still 
this  accentuation  of  any  one  of  these  does  not  elimi- 
nate the  others ;  in  fact,  as  a  rule  some  of  these  are  also 
necessarily  accentuated. 

We  find  inflections  especially  accentuated  in  every 
one  of  them,  on  account  of  the  increase  of  thinking  in 
any  higher  or  deeper  realization,  even  of  feeling.  The 
touch  is  also  more  decided  and  vigorous,  since  where 
there  is  an  increase  of  impression  and  feeling,  there 
must  be  increase  of  control.  The  pause  is  nearly  always 


2/0  THE  TECHNIQUE 

accentuated,  because  to  receive  a  higher  and  more  forci- 
ble impression  requires  more  time.  Color  and  movement 
are  also  accentuated  in  every  case,  because  to  accentuate 
impression  means  to  awaken  a  deeper  emotion  and  to 
increase  the  importance  of  the  ideas. 

In  reading  the  Scriptures,  the  chief  danger  in  the  use 
of  emphasis  is  the  overworking  of  some  one  "pet" 
method.  There  is  no  reading  which  more  demands  the 
entire  gamut  of  vocal  expression.  Too  frequently,  in- 
flection is  the  only  form  of  emphasis.  This  may  cause 
the  reading  to  be  clear,  but  inflection  alone  is  cold  and 
hard.  The  deeper  feeling,  the  imaginative  and  emo- 
tional elements,  are  not  manifest.  A  reader  of  the 
Scriptures  must  live  his  passage;  every  faculty  and 
power  in  him  must  be  awake,  and  every  modulation  of 
voice  must  be  at  his  command  for  any  degree  of  accentu- 
ation or  combination. 

Different  combinations  of  modulations  are  often  re- 
quired to  express  abrupt  transitions  in  thought  or  emo- 
tion. These  always  have  great  change  of  key,  contrast 
in  tone-color,  and  decided  variation  of  movement  with 
other  changes.  On  account  of  the  salient  accentuation 
and  union  of  several  elements,  practice  of  such  transitions 
will  bring  these  elements  to  the  consciousness  of  the 
student.  On  account  of  the  universal  tendency  to  fail  to 
realize  changes  in  thought  and  feeling,  or  to  have  the 
imaginative  insight  and  sympathetic  or  dramatic  identifi- 
cation with  the  real  life  of  the  situation,  such  practice  is 
one  of  the  simplest  and  most  effective  means  of  securing 
self-command.  There  is  also  danger  at  such  times  that 
many  will  render  such  transitions  chaotically,  that  is,  in 
making  such  changes  fail  to  preserve  harmony  in  the 
midst  of  sudden  opposition. 


VOICE  MODULATIONS  271 

The  reader  should  carefully  study  and  observe  in 
practice  each  of  the  following  transitions,  and  arrange 
many  others.  In  silent  reading  the  reader  is  apt  to 
overlook  transitions  entirely,  and  the  same  is  true  of  the 
ordinary  negative  and  unsympathetic  calling  of  words 
which  is  called  reading.  Even  a  good  reader  must  note 
that  his  life  and  earnestness  tend  to  cause  him  to  break 
over  these  transitions.  Hence  he  should  need  to  make 
as  long  pauses  and  as  extreme  contrasts  in  thought, 
feeling,  and  the  modulation  of  his  voice  as  possible. 

The  primary  law  governing  all  transitions  is  that 
whatever  change  takes  place  in  feeling  or  the  actions 
of  the  mind,  should  be  shown  by  some  corresponding 
change  in  the  modulations  of  the  voice.  As  there  is 
nearly  always  the  initiation  of  a  new  point  of  view,  the 
picture  of  a  new  scene  or  marking  of  a  new  line  of  ex- 
perience, there  is  special  need  for  the  accentuation  of 
the  primary,  mental,  or  imaginative  actions  of  the  mind. 
A  new  line  of  thought  must  be  made  especially  salient 
to  the  audience,  or  it  will  be  lost.  Transitions  are  thus 
the  test  of  the  reader's  appreciation  of  the  real  spirit  of 
a  passage,  and  his  power  in  expression. 

Transitions  are  especially  important  in  the  Bible  on 
account  of  the  frequent  and  abrupt  changes.  Extreme 
changes  in  thinking  and  human  experience  are  often  not 
indicated  in  any  way.  These  show  the  importance  of 
the  assimilative  instinct,  and  demand  serious  study. 

One  of  the  most  frequent  transitions  is  from  explana- 
tion or  description  to  quotation.  The  first  verse  of 
Isaiah,  for  example,  is  only  an  editorial  note  about  the 
author,  while  verse  2  begins  the  prophet's  great  arraign- 
ment of  the  chosen  people.  What  can  be  more  misleading 


2/2  THE   TECHNIQUE 

than  to  read  these  verses  alike?  Jeremiah  i.  1-3  is  a 
similar  editorial  note,  while  in  verse  4  Jeremiah  begins 
the  account  of  his  call.  To  overlook  such  transitions 
makes  all  true  emphasis  or  true  expression  impossible. 

What  a  sudden  transition  is  found  in  Acts  iv.  12,  13!; 
The  effect  of  the  vigorous  words  of  Peter  are  revealed 
in  the  thirteenth  verse,  which  should  be  suggestively  read 
with  strong  movement,  with  the  deepest  significance  of 
this  memory  of  the  manner  of  the  Master. 

An  important  transition  is  often  overlooked  in  Acts 
i.  9;  Jesus'  farewell  words  should  be  given  intensely 
and  with  exaltation,  then  comes  His  ascension  before 
their  very  eyes.  Strong,  long,  slow  movement,  tender- 
ness and  color,  low  pitch,  characterize  the  climax  "  And 
the  cloud  received  Him  out  of  their  sight." 

It  is  very  important  to  give  the  explanatory  clauses, 
introductory  to  the  Master's  words,  with  a  light,  quick, 
familiar  rhythm,  that  the  greater  weight  may  be  shown  by 
a  strong,  rhythmic  accent.  Note  in  Matthew  xi.  1-6,  for 
example,  what  simple  and  familiar  inflections,  touches,  and 
rhythm  (vs.  1-3);  but  in  the  fourth  verse,  what  changes 
in  coloring,  intensity  of  rhythm,  and  all  the  modulations 
begin  with  Jesus'  tender  words,  "  Go  and  tell  John  the 
things  which  ye  hear  and  see."  How  often  in  the  Bible 
do  we  find  transition  from  one  character  to  another ! 
For  example,  in  John  viii.  12-59,  what  decided  opposi- 
tions in  movement,  color,  pitch,  and  form,  between  the 
sneering  and  angry  speeches  of  the  Jews  and  the 
weighty,  suggestive  words  of  the  Master! 

By  transition  in  movement,  color,  and  pitch,  the 
reader  may  also  show  just  where  a  quotation  ends. 
This  is  often  an  important  and  difficult  point.  For 


VOICE  MODULATIONS  273 

example,  in  John  iii.,  there  is  a  dispute  amongst  scholars 
at  what  point  Christ's  speech  to  Nicodemus  ends.  Many 
regard  the  sixteenth  verse  as  beginning  a  discussion  by 
the  writer  of  the  book.  After  the  reader  has  decided 
where  the  quotation  ends,  he  can  indicate  its  close  by  a 
long  pause  and  a  transition.  In  James  ii.  18,  "Thou 
hast  faith  and  I  have  works,"  is  the  whole  of  the  quota- 
tion ;  the  next  is  by  James  himself,  but  it  is  often  read  as 
if  the  whole  verse  were  quoted.  The  quotation  can  be 
easily  indicated  by  a  pause  before  and  after  it.  Changes 
in  voice  will  also  indicate  the  next,  "  Shew  me  thy  faith 
without  thy  works,  and  I  will  shew  thee  my  faith  by  my 
works."  When  once  a  reader  studies  the  sympathetic 
action  of  his  mind,  the  method  of  identifying  himself 
with  the  thoughts  and  feelings  of  others  and  the  facility 
with  which  the  modulations  of  the  voice  can  suggest 
these,  quotations  can  be  indicated  with  great  ease. 

Another  common  transition  is  the  passing  from  an 
illustration  to  the  thought  illustrated,  or  from  an  illus- 
tration to  its  application.  Note,  for  example,  in  James 
iii.  3,  the  illustration  is  first  of  a  bridle,  in  verse  4  "a 
rudder  " ;  verse  5  contains  the  central  thought,  and  de- 
mands emphasis,  especially  upon  the  word  "tongue." 
In  the  last  part  of  verse  5  an  illustration  of  fire  is  used, 
which,  of  course,  should  be  given  rapidly,  while  verse  6 
is  given  slowly  and  weightily  ;  in  verse  7  the  illustration 
is  of  beasts  and  birds;  while  verse  8  returns  again  to 
the  central  thought;  and  again,  as  in  all  the  other  re- 
turns to  the  central  thought,  the  word  "tongue"  is  anti- 
thetic to  the  objects  used  in  illustration  and  decidedly 
emphatic.  Illustrations  and  the  central  thought  are 
united  in  the  question  about  fountain  and  fig  tree  and 
T 


2/4  THE  TECHNIQUE 

salt  water,  which  makes  these  more  important;  verse  13 
is  also  serious  and  in  contrast,  and  demands  great 
emphasis  on  the  word  "life." 

Changes  from  thought  to  illustration,  or  the  reverse, 
are  very  often  not  even  hinted  at  in  the  ordinary  care- 
less reading  of  the  Scriptures.  In  Matthew  vi.  n,  23, 
the  talk  about  the  eye  as  "  the  lamp  of  the  body "  and 
its  singleness  is  merely  an  illustration,  —  an  illustration  of 
the  location  of  man's  only  treasury  in  verse  20,  and  has 
its  climax  in  verse  23,  "  If  the  light  that  is  in  thee  be 
darkness,"  the  real  theme,  "  How  great  is  the  darkness !  " 

There  is  a  wide  difference  between  the  Master's  illus- 
trations and  His  parables.  His  illustrations  are  gen- 
erally spoken  more  quickly  than  the  central  thought, 
but  a  parable  is  a  work  of  art,  a  symbol  embodying  some 
great  truth,  and  it  is  read  slowly ;  for  example,  the  story, 
Luke  vii.  41,  42,  is  not  a  parable  but  only  an  illustration, 
and  is  read  more  rapidly  than  the  context. 

Again,  Luke  xii.  54-55  is  only  an  illustration  spoken 
quickly,  while  "  ye  hypocrites  "  (v.  56)  begins  the  central 
thought,  and  is  spoken  with  slow  and  strong  pulsations. 
Luke  vii.  32  is  only  an  illustration,  and  is  given  with 
secondary  interest,  but  "John  the  Baptist"  and  "  Son  of 
man"  (vs.  33-34)  are  spoken  with  primary  interest  and 
as  the  real  point  illustrated.  But  a  parable  must  be 
spoken  as  a  symbol  embodying  a  truth  in  itself.  It 
must  be  set  off  by  tone-color,  change  of  pitch,  and  espe- 
cially by  stronger  movement  as  having  a  distinct  charac- 
ter. Note,  for  example,  Luke  xii.  13-31.  The  parable 
of  the  rich  man  is  a  unit  in  itself,  and  embodies  an  es- 
sence of  Christ's  weighty  words;  the  context  is  more 
directly  pointed  and  personal. 


VOICE  MODULATIONS  2/5 

After  a  parable  the  Master  often  passes  on  to  the 
application.  This  is  a  very  important  transition.  It 
differs  always  from  the  parable,  it  is  more  direct,  more 
pointed,  has  a  more  salient  melody  and  a  greater  direct- 
ness of  appeal.  Such  an  application  is  often  a  warning. 
Possibly  in  every  case  it  is  the  most  weighty  part  of  the 
whole  passage. 

Notice  the  strong  contrast  in  Jeremiah  xvii.  5-8.  The 
excited  movement,  inflections,  and  color  show  disapproval 
in  5  and  6,  but  give  way  in  verse  7  to  slow,  intense  move- 
ment and  tender,  deep  coloring,  in  fact  to  a  variation  of 
all  the  modulations  of  the  voice. 

Emphatic  transitions  are  often  found  in  a  plain  letter. 
Take,  for  example,  a  change  to  what  is  remarkable  in 
I  Corinthians  xiii.,  "  Though  I  speak  with  the  tongues  of 
men,"  —  there  is  nothing  extraordinary  about  this,  but 
note  the  next  clause,  —  "  and  of  angels  "  ;  this  is  unusual, 
and  receives  among  other  modulations  a  long  inflection. 

Later,  in  verse  1 2,  we  have,  "  Now  we  see  in  a  mirror, 
darkly."  This  is  well  known,  and  needs  no  particular 
impression  regarding  it ;  however,  the  next,  "  But  then 
face  to  face,"  must  be  given  with  great  intensity,  to 
suggest  the  realization  of  the  higher  light  that  is  to 
come.  Again,  "  Now  I  know  in  part "  is  a  perfectly 
familiar  and  accepted  fact ;  but  the  next,  "  Then  shall  I 
know  fully  as  I  was  fully  known,"  embodies  the  whole 
point  of  the  passage,  and  must  be  read  to  indicate  a 
higher  plane  of  sympathy  and  thought. 

If  the  reader  will  take  an  important  passage,  such  as 
the  ninth  chapter  of  John,  carefully  analyze  its  mean- 
ing in  direct  relation  to  its  vocal  expression,  and  give  it  a 
practical  rendering,  he  can  hardly  fail  to  see  the  specific 


2/6  THE   TECHNIQUE 

function  of  each  modulation,  and  the  necessary  union  of 
all  of  them  in  expression. 

Omit  "  and."  In  the  original  it  only  adds  another 
event  in  Christ's  life.  Attention  centres  in  verse  i  upon 
"blind  from  his  birth,"  the  most  remarkable  fact  regard- 
ing the  man.  This  makes  the  opening  of  his  eyes  the 
more  wonderful.  This  phrase  may  be  made  salient  by  a 
pause  before  and  after,  by  being  spoken  slowly,  by  change 
in  the  pitch  and  color,  and  especially  by  a  rising  inflection 
on  "blind,"  and  a  strong  falling  inflection  on  "birth." 

"  Disciples  "  (v.  2),  often  wrongly  accentuated,  is  only 
slightly  emphatic ;  they  are  assumed  to  be  present. 
Attention  centres  on  the  discussion.  "  Asked  "  is  more 
important.  (See  the  Greek.)  "  Sinned  "  must  be  spoken 
to  indicate  the  common  idea  of  that  day.  The  chief 
accentuation  is  on  "  man  "  and  "  parents,"  by  opposite 
inflections.  This  confines  the  sinning  to  one  or  the 
other,  which  was  their  idea.  The  reader  must  ask  the 
question  as  if  present. 

The  Master's  answer  is  gentle;  not  speculation  but 
work  is  our  aim  in  this  world.  "  Neither  "  contains  the 
whole  answer;  "nor"  reiterates  this,  and  has  a  falling 
inflection.  "  Manifest "  is  emphatic  by  precedence. 
"  Works  of  God  "  implies  what  Christ  was  doing  all 
the  time — may  be  here  antithetic  to  their  speculative 
attitude ;  not  speculation,  curiosity,  but  realizing  God  in 
"work  "  is  the  aim  of  life. 

"  Day "  (v.  4),  possibly  antithetic  to  the  blind  man's 
night,  means  opportunity.  Accentuating  "cometh" 
compares  "  night"  with  his  "  blindness."  "  Light"  (v.  5) 
is  strong,  and  certainly  antithetic  to  "  blindness."  Was 
this  last  clause  spoken  to  the  disciples  or  to  the  blind 


VOICE   MODULATIONS  277 

man  ?  The  words  of  the  Master,  being  the  centre  of  the 
Gospels,  should  always  be  given  with  slower  movement 
and  more  intense  coloring  than  the  narrative  or  descrip- 
tive parts,  except  where  there  is  an  account  of  the 
marked  effect  of  His  words  or  miracles ;  then  a  de- 
scriptive clause  becomes  epic  in  dignity.  Verse  6, 
shorter,  quicker  rhythm :  it  is  a  mere  narration  of  facts. 
The  Master's  direction  should  be  slow,  stronger,  and 
rhythmic  again,  for  there  must  have  been  something  of 
love  or  something  to  awaken  confidence  in  the  blind 
man,  in  the  way  He  said  it.  Parenthesis  not  spoken  by 
Christ ;  the  name  of  the  pool  has  no  importance  now ; 
should  this  parenthesis  be  omitted  ?  The  most  emphatic 
word  of  the  first  paragraph  is  "  seeing  "  (v.  7).  This  state- 
ment of  the  miracle  must  be  given  with  wonder,  not  as 
a  matter  of  course.  A  pause  before  the  word  shows 
this  astonishment  as  also  a  change  of  pitch,  color,  and 
texture.  The  reader  must  enter  into  an  imaginative 
realization  of  the  scene;  Christ  and  the  disciples  are 
gone ;  he  must  see  the  one  who  was  blind  coming  back 
seeing,  and  must  give  an  impression  of  the  event. 

As  this  completes  one  stage  in  the  story,  there 
should  be  a  long  pause  after  "  seeing."  The  next  scene 
is  introduced  with  a  more  familiar  movement.  The  word 
"  neighbors  "  is  introduced  with  a  strong  falling  inflec- 
tion. Unless  "  neighbors "  is  given  salient  form,  the 
attention  of  the  audience  would  not  be  changed ;  no  new 
characters  would  be  introduced.  The  question  of  the 
neighbors  is  one  of  surprise.  Dramatic  instinct  de- 
mands that  you  feel  their  point  of  view.  Their  wonder 
is  shown  by  a  kind  of  staccato  touch  and  inflection  on 
nearly  every  word.  The  Revised  Version  (v.  9)  repeats 


2/8  THE  TECHNIQUE 

"others."  This  implies  more  than  two  classes.  With 
this  idea  in  mind,  both  should  have  the  same  inflection. 
If  there  were  but  two  classes,  as  indicated  by  the  King 
James  version,  the  inflections  might  be  opposite.  The 
centre  of  attention  should  be  upon  "  eyes."  Dramatic 
instinct  demands  a  point  of  view,  and  calls  for  simple 
conversational  form. 

Third  scene  or  paragraph  is  introduced  by  "Phari- 
sees." Strong  falling  inflection  is  needed.  The  "neigh- 
bors "  felt  the  event  so  important  that  they  reported  it  to 
the  leaders,  probably  to  the  Sanhedrin.  "  Blind  "  is  not 
emphatic,  but  familiar.  To  accentuate  this  word,  as  is 
often  done,  is  to  introduce  a  different  man.  The  subor- 
dination of  this  is  of  the  greatest  moment.  An  idea 
is  introduced  saliently  once  only,  unless  there  is  some 
antithesis.  Note  the  many  subordinations  here, — for 
example,  the  last  clause  of  verse  13;  also  of  verse  14. 
"  Sabbath"  is  the  centre  of  an  explanatory  sentence, 
which  is  an  aside.  This  makes  the  inflection  upon  it  on 
a  different  pitch  ;  it  is  introduced  to  explain  what  follows. 
It  has  also  a  different  movement.  There  was  a  precept 
against  putting  saliva  on  the  eye  on  the  Sabbath.  All 
healing  was  forbidden,  except  where  life  was  imperilled. 
So  the  Pharisees  were  greatly  shocked.  The  real 
centre  which  carries  the  mind  forward  in  the  first 
part  of  verse  15  is  the  word  "also";  all  else  is  sub- 
ordinated. His  answer  simply  reiterates  the  same 
words,  possibly  less  emphatic.  The  reader  must  feel 
his  cautious  attitude  toward  the  Sanhedrin.  His  story 
to  them  is  the  same,  but  shorter.  The  characters  of 
these  men,  and  their  feelings  toward  Christ,  should  be 
suggested  (v.  16). 


VOICE  MODULATIONS  279 

The  question  in  verse  17  is  by  one  of  the  antagonistic 
party.  "Thou"  expressed  in  the  Greek  is  very  em- 
phatic, both  from  the  logical  and  dramatic  points  of  view. 
His  answer  should  be  given  with  dignity  and  weight,  and 
show  him  the  noble  man  he  evidently  was.  With  his 
courage  and  quiet  confidence  in  the  face  of  these  preju- 
diced men,  he  is  the  hero  of  the  story.  The  spirit  of 
the  narrative  demands  that  he  be  reposeful  and  noble. 
Sarcastic  and  ignoble  emotion  should  be  confined  to  the 
angry  Jews.  This  also  increases  the  epic  impressiveness 
of  the  story  and  the  dignity  of  his  character. 

A  new  scene,  so  far  as  vocal  expression  is  concerned, 
or  a  new  paragraph  centres  in  "  did  not  believe  "  (v.  18), 
not  in  "Jews";  these  are  the  same  men.  All  else  must 
be  carefully  subordinated.  To  emphasize  "blind,"  or 
"  received  sight,"  confuses  the  whole  movement  of  the 
story.  "  Parents "  leads  the  mind  to  new  characters 
introduced.  "  Believe "  and  "  parents "  are  the  only 
words  that  should  be  made  salient  in  verse  18.  The 
question  of  the  Jews  in  verse  19  is  colored  by  sarcasm, 
bitterness,  and  possibly  contempt  for  this  beggar  and 
his  parents.  In  verse  20  there  is  a  great  change  as  the 
parents  feel  the  attitude  of  these  rulers.  Besides,  they 
are  on  the  witness-stand,  and  their  son  is  not  present. 
They  are  good  witnesses  and  state  only  what  they 
know.  Verse  22  centres  in  "fear,"  which  gives  the 
reason  for  their  attitude.  "  Already  "  and  "  synagogue  " 
also  have  some  saliency.  This  verse  and  the  following 
should  be  read  rapidly  and  with  more  conversational 
form  or  the  narrative  spirit.  Thus  it  furnishes  a  better 
contrast  to  any  dramatic  and  epic  elements.  "  Second 
time  "  (v.  24)  implies  that  the  man  has  been  put  out  and 


280  THE   TECHNIQUE 

called  back,  and  introduces  another  scene.  All  else  in 
this  clause  is  subordinated.  "  Give  glory  to  God  "  is  a 
solemn  adjuration  that  he  should  tell  a  lie  for  God's 
glory,  or  say  only  what  they  wished  him  to  say.  "  We  " 
expressed  in  the  Greek ;  very  emphatic,  as  much  as 
to  say,  it  is  our  business  to  know  ;  you  are  an  ignorant 
beggar.  His  answer  is  the  climax  of  the  story,  and  is 
given  with  slow  dignity  and  weight.  It  is  the  appeal  of 
a  man  to  his  own  experience.  Their  answer  is  quick  and 
sarcastic  and  intellectually  eager,  with  strong  accent  on 
"  what "  and  "  how."  They  wanted  to  find  a  point  now 
in  the  manner.  His  answer  shows  that  he  sees  what 
they  are  about.  The  emphasis  is  upon  "  ye  "  expressed 
in  the  Greek  (v.  27).  The  Greek  negative  and  structure 
indicate  something  like  this,  "  Surely  you  also  do  not 
wish  to  become  his  disciples."  The  voice  can  render 
the  spirit  of  this  question  with  the  right  accentuation  of 
"ye."  "Also"  implies  his  own  wish  to  become  a  dis- 
ciple. The  anger  of  the  Jews  must  be  only  suggested. 
There  is  no  real  genuine  sign  that  the  blind  man  was 
angry.  His  words  imply  great  dignity  and  simplicity  of 
character,  a  childlike  attitude  of  mind  which  is  marvel- 
lously portrayed.  When  one  man  gets  angry,  the  other 
is  apt  to  get  angry  by  opposition,  but  this  is  a  sign  of 
weakness.  It  is  not  necessary  here,  it  is  not  consistent 
with  what  he  afterward  says.  Their  reviling  him  is  a 
more  open  antagonism.  All  previous  antagonism  must 
be  more  or  less  subtly  indicated,  even  in  giving  their 
speeches.  Undignified  elements  should  be  as  far  as 
possible  subordinated,  as  the  story  is  epic  rather  than 
dramatic. 

In  verse  30  the  man  is  genuinely  surprised.     It  is  not 


VOICE  MODULATIONS  281 

necessary  to  make  him  antagonistic.  "  Ye  "  expressed 
in  the  Greek ;  a  long  pause  after  this  word  implies  that 
"  It  is  not  wonderful  that  I,  a  poor  beggar,  blind  from 
birth,  should  not  know;  but  ye,  leaders  of  the  people, 
who  know  the  law  and  the  prophets,"  —  he  goes  on  and 
gives  his  ideas  in  a  simple  and  straightforward  way. 
His  gentleness  and  kindness  make  them  all  the  more 
antagonistic.  In  verse  34  their  insult  for  his  being 
blind,  as  equivalent  to  being  born  in  sin,  should  be  given 
dramatically,  or  their  spirit  at  least  suggested.  "  Us  "  is 
very  emphatic.  "  They  cast  him  out "  is  strongly  ac- 
centuated with  something  of  the  coloring  and  especially 
movement  of  anger.  They  did  it,  no  doubt,  by  force,  but 
it  was  symbolic  of  his  rejection  from  the  synagogue. 
He  was  "  cut  off  from  his  people." 

Now  comes  one  of  the  marvellous  transitions  so  fre- 
quent in  the  Bible,  and  so  important  in  its  vocal  expres- 
sion. After  a  long  pause,  with  a  total  change  of  key, 
different  color  and  movement,  with  a  sense  of  great 
tenderness  we  centre  all  upon  the  word  "  heard.  "  No 
verbal  emphasis  however  can  interpret  it.  The  whole 
passage  must  give  the  feeling;  the  man,  discouraged, 
cut  off  from  his  people  by  the  Mosaic  law,  seems  to 
have  shrunk  away.  He  did  not  go  to  Christ,  possibly, 
because  he  feared  he  might  drag  his  own  misfortunes 
down  upon  his  benefactor.  The  news  was  probably 
carried  to  the  Master  by  one  of  the  Jews  who  wanted  to 
see  what  the  Master  would  say,  and  by  his  manner  of 
telling  it  may  have  said,  "  You  see  you  brought  him  into 
trouble."  "Finding  him"  implies  that  the  Master 
sought  him.  These  sneerers  might  be  willing  to  show 
him  the  way,  and  others  would  follow  with  curiosity  to 


282  THE   TECHNIQUE 

see  what  would  be  said.  The  question  in  the  Greek 
may  show  this.  There  may  be  no  isolated  emphasis 
however  of  this.  Often  the  expression  of  the  pronoun 
is  too  delicate  for  our  crude  methods  of  emphasis,  es- 
pecially in  the  Gospel  of  John.  The  answer  shows  the 
healed  man's  reserve.  He  had  never  seen  Jesus,  so  far 
as  we  know.  He  doubtless  knew  the  Master  by  His 
voice.  In  his  loneliness  he  shows  his  bravery  and  is 
reserved ;  he  will  not  implicate  his  Master  without  His 
consent.  The  answer  of  Jesus  (v.  37)  is  a  wonderful 
self -revelation.  The  chief  part  of  it  must  have  been  in 
the  manner  of  the  Master,  which  made  the  poor  outcast 
aware  of  the  character  of  the  one  who  spoke  to  him. 
This  explains  the  great  feeling  and  intensity  of  his 
answer,  and  his  act  (v.  38). 

Were  these  two  alone  ?  Was  this  a  simple  heart  to 
heart  personal  self -revelation  ?  This  question  must  be 
answered  by  the  paragraphing.  If  they  were  alone, 
there  is  a  paragraph  at  verse  39 ;  but  all  the  recent  edi- 
tions of  the  Greek  Testament  make  no  paragraph  at 
this  point,  implying  that  some  of  these  sharp-eyed 
Pharisees  had  followed  him,  and  that  here  is  a  rebuke 
to  them.  Paragraphing  would  indicate  that  the  follow- 
ing verses  were  spoken  on  another  occasion. 

Verse  40  is  only  narrative.  It  should  be  given  simply 
for  the  sake  of  contrast.  They  still  kept  up  the  sarcasm 
and  antagonism  in  their  question.  The  words  of  the 
Master  must  be  read  with  great  dignity  and  signifi- 
cance, slow  movement,  definite  touch,  low  pitch,  long 
pauses,  and  noble  coloring.  There  is  no  anger,  but  a 
dignified  rebuke  of  the  spirit  the  Jews  were  manifesting 
on  this  and  other  occasions.  The  words  are  subjective 


VOICE  MODULATIONS  283 

and  tender,  though  doubly  intense  and  strong.  The 
sneering  question  of  the  Jews,  which  breaks  into  this 
noble  strain  of  high  spiritual  exaltation,  serves  to  heighten 
the  dignity  of  His  words  by  contrast.  The  reader,  after 
repeating  their  question  in  the  dramatic  spirit,  must 
return  to  the  slow  epic  movement  of  the  serious  warning 
of  the  Master.  Their  anger  must  cause  no  anger  in 
Him,  their  sneer  must  bring  forth  no  response  or  irony, 
all  the  inflections  on  the  last  words  should  be  straight, 
and  the  color,  movement,  touch,  and  range  of  voice 
should  have  the  greatest  dignity  and  seriousness. 


IV 

PREPARATION   AND   THE 
SERVICE 


XXVII.     SELECTION  AND  ARRANGEMENT 
OF  THE  LESSON 

WE  have  studied  something  of  the  general  problem 
of  the  interpretation  of  the  Bible,  the  essential  spirit  of 
the  message,  especially  in  relation  to  human  realization 
and  expression,  and  the  technique  of  vocal  expression, 
or  the  expressive  modulations  of  the  voice.  In  the 
application  of  the  principles  that  have  been  un- 
folded, many  additional  questions  and  problems  present 
themselves. 

One  of  these  regards  the  preparation  of  a  lesson. 
Every  lesson  must  be  especially  prepared  as  a  whole, 
as  well  as  in  part,  before  it  can  be  given  adequate 
interpretation. 

The  first  step  in  the  specific  preparation  of  the 
Scripture  lesson  is  the  selection  and  arrangement  of 
the  passage  or  passages  to  be  read.  This  receives  too 
little  attention.  Frequently  preachers  read  simply  the 
connection  of  their  texts.  The  appropriateness  of  a 
passage  to  the  subject,  or  to  the  rest  of  the  service, 
is  not  seriously  considered.  A  clergyman  once  read, 
to  the  astonishment  of  his  congregation,  the  genealogy 
of  Christ  in  Luke  iii.  23-38.  The  reason  appeared  only 
when  he  took  his  text  from  the  last  verse,  "  Adam,  who 
was  the  son  of  God."  This  may  possibly  have  been 
done  to  create  a  sensation,  but  more  probably  it  was  the 
result  of  thoughtless  custom.  The  lesson  should  not 

287 


288  THE   SERVICE 

only  be  carefully  studied  but  carefully  selected  and  ar- 
ranged. A  preacher  has  no  right  to  leave  the  selection 
of  the  lesson  till  the  last  minute  Saturday  evening,  still 
less  to  put  it  off  till  after  his  arrival  at  church. 

If  the  minister  will  now  and  then  review  the  lessons 
he  has  read,  he  may  find  that  he  has  read  over  and 
over  a  few  favorite  chapters  and  covered  only  a  small 
part  of  the  Bible.  He  may  discover  that  he  has 
made  no  diligent  search  to  bring  forth  "things  new 
and  old." 

In  the  selection  of  the  lesson,  the  reader  should 
observe  carefully  those  lectionaries  which  have  been  the 
result  of  study  and  experience,  such  as  those  in  the 
Prayer-book.  They  will  suggest  to  him  at  least  new 
subjects  and  themes. 

Where  the  lesson  is  appointed,  as  in  the  Roman 
Catholic  or  the  Episcopal  Church,  it  should  be  thor- 
oughly studied.  The  custom  of  leaving  the  Scripture 
to  be  read  by  inexperienced  boys  cannot  be  too  ear- 
nestly condemned. 

Wherever  it  is  possible,  the  minister  should  make  not 
only  a  close  and  thorough  study  of  the  Scripture  to  be 
read  but  an  original  arrangement  or  adaptation  of  his 
lesson.  He  should  begin  at  the  right  point,  omit  all 
unnecessary  passages,  and  bring  all  into  unity.  He  can 
do  this  and  at  the  same  time  unfold  a  lesson  which 
directly  bears  on  the  theme,  day,  or  occasion. 

For  example,  the  destruction  of  Sodom,  one  of  the 
sublime  passages  of  the  Old  Testament,  is  rarely,  if 
ever,  read  in  church,  except  in  fragments,  because  half 
of  one  verse  is  of  such  a  character  that  it  cannot  be  read 
aloud  in  a  modern  congregation.  But  even  when  it  is 


SELECTION   AND  ARRANGEMENT  OF  LESSON     289 

read,  the  fact  that  the  escape  of  Lot  was  in  answer  to 
Abraham's  prayer  is  rarely  brought  out.  Now  this  true 
conception  of  the  whole  passage  can  be  indicated  by 
beginning  the  lesson  at  verses  16,  20,  or  22  in  the  eigh- 
teenth of  Genesis,  with  the  prayer  of  Abraham,  who  intro- 
duces no  personalities  into  his  prayer,  notwithstanding 
his  deep  feeling  and  longing  for  Lot,  but  approaches 
God  on  the  principles  of  universal  justice.  Verse  8  of 
the  next  chapter  should  be  omitted  entirely,  or  at  any 
rate  the  first  half  of  it,  to  avoid  shocking  the  sensibilities 
of  any.  The  lesson  may  be  further  shortened  by  omit- 
ting verses  18-23  inclusive,  and  also  verses  25-26,  clos- 
ing the  lesson  with  verse  29,  which  should  be  read  with 
strong,  slow  movement,  lower  key,  and  serious,  tender 
coloring  to  carry  the  hearers  back  to  Abraham's  tender 
entreaty.  "  God  remembered  Abraham,"  answered  the 
prayer  he  dared  not  put  in  words,  and  "saved  Lot  out 
of  the  midst  of  the  overthrow." 

This  is  only  one  instance  where  omissions  will  not 
pervert  the  sense  or  spirit  of  a  passage,  but  in  the  time 
allowed  enable  the  reader  to  illustrate  a  larger  unity 
and  meaning.  It  is  certainly  better  than  reading  only 
half,  and  destroying  its  true  unity,  without  manifesting 
its  epic  spirit. 

In  the  story  of  Elijah  at  Carmel,  the  lesson  should 
either  stop  at  i  Kings  xviii.  39,  or,  if  continued,  should 
go  on  into  the  nineteenth  chapter  and  end  at  about  the 
fifteenth  verse.  It  should  not  end  with  chapter  xviii.,  as 
this  would  make  Jehovah  seem  to  approve  of  the  kill- 
ing of  the  prophets.  The  lesson  should  include  the 
nineteenth  chapter,  in  which  Elijah  was  practically 
rebuked  in  a  sublime  lesson,  not  only  for  his  lack  of 


2QO  THE   SERVICE 

faith,  but  for  his  misconception  of  the  real  nature  of 
Jehovah's  methods. 

Again,  take  the  exciting  account  of  the  arrest  of  Paul 
in  the  book  of  Acts  xxi.  1 5-xxiii.  1 1  and  his  speech  to 
the  Jews.  By  careful  abridgment,  by  noting  where 
the  reader  begins  his  lesson,  which  should  be  according 
to  the  specific  subject,  several  lessons  may  be  arranged 
from  the  same  passage. 

Great  attention  should  be  given  to  the  beginning  and 
the  end,  or  the  climax.  The  last  should,  in  a  sense, 
complete  or  bear  some  relation  to  the  first  part.  Then 
the  central  ideas  should  be  carefully  studied  and  re- 
lated, and  all  illustrative  and  subordinate  parts  brought 
into  unity. 

Several  distinct  lessons  may  be  arranged  from  Acts  xii. 
By  continuing  from  verse  i  through  23,  an  account 
will  be  given  of  Herod's  persecution,  the  arrest  of 
Peter,  his  deliverance,  and  the  death  of  Herod;  while 
verse  24  will  give,  in  contrast,  the  growth  of  the  church. 
The  arrest  and  deliverance  of  Peter  will  require  a 
shorter  lesson,  beginning  with  either  verse  i  or  verse  3, 
closing  with  verse  17.  A  still  shorter  lesson,  including 
only  the  deliverance,  could  be  arranged  from  verse  6 
through  verse  n.  Many  other  combinations  may  also 
be  arranged,  which  must,  of  course,  depend  upon  the 
purpose  the  reader  has  in  view. 

Great  impressiveness  has  been  secured  many  times 
by  carefully  gathering  together  passages  to  be  read  at 
a  funeral.  He  who  gives  no  thought  to  such  work 
misses  half  his  opportunity  to  do  good.  There  is  no 
passage  in  the  Bible  which,  as  a  whole,  is  well  adapted 
to  be  read  at  funerals.  Even  the  fifteenth  of  i  Corin- 


SELECTION   AND  ARRANGEMENT   OF  LESSON      291 

thians  has  certain  parts  which  are  irrelevant  to  a  modern 
congregation  —  for  example,  verse  29.  Besides,  the 
chapter  is  too  long.  It  gives  no  opportunity  to  select 
other  verses,  such  as  John  xiv.  1-4,  —  a  passage  which 
has  been  a  source  of  comfort  to  thousands. 

The  Bible  reader  must  have  in  mind  his  whole  ser- 
vice, —  the  occasion,  the  general  aim  and  the  subject, 
the  length  and  character  of  his  sermon.  In  his  ar- 
rangement and  study  of  the  lesson,  it  is  a  mistake  to 
have  everything  always  exactly  the  same  length.  There 
are  times  when  it  would  make  the  service  of  greater 
importance  and  far  more  interesting  to  have  a  long 
Scripture  lesson,  carefully  studied,  one  that  would  give, 
it  may  be,  the  spirit  of  a  whole  book,  and  add  weight 
and  force  to  a  shorter  sermon,  thus  making  it  all  the 
more  powerful  from  its  not  being  the  conventional 
length  of  just  a  certain  number  of  minutes.  At  other 
times  the  Scripture  lesson  could  be  made  very  short, 
and  read  in  connection  with  musical  or  other  modes  of 
interpretation  or  means  of  worship  or  with  a  longer 
sermon.  To  read  other  passages,  in  connection  with 
the  parable  of  the  Prodigal  Son,  for  example,  would  be 
very  apt  to  detract  from  its  impressiveness  and  the  true 
realization  of  its  meaning. 

The  lessons  should  be  short  or  long,  entirely  in  accord- 
ance with  their  spirit  and  nature,  the  occasion,  the  ob- 
ject, and  never  be  of  uniform  length  or  in  accordance 
with  conventional  custom^  Every  lesson,  in  fact  every 
service,  should  be  studied  for  its  own  sake. 

The  reader  of  the  Bible  meets  a  special  difficulty  from 
the  fact  of  its  division  into  chapters  and  verses.  Sys- 
tems of  theology  were  formerly  built  up  on  proof -texts, 


2Q2  THE   SERVICE 

consisting  too  often  of  isolated  verses  separated  from 
their  connection  and  sometimes  out  of  keeping  with  the 
spirit  of  the  whole  book,  or  even  opposed  to  the  argu- 
ment of  the  chapter  in  which  they  were  found. 

The  reader  should  make  his  own  paragraphs,  care- 
fully observing  the  principle  of  paragraphing  which,  for 
example,  Professor  Wendell  in  his  book  on  composition 
calls  *'  massing."  The  general  arrangement  of  the 
lesson  and  its  proper  vocal  interpretation  greatly 
depend  upon  careful  study  of  the  paragraph. 

It  must  be  noted,  however,  that  rhetorical  paragraph- 
ing may  be  very  different  from  that  of  vocal  expression. 
The  passionate  movement,  the  broad,  salient  transitions, 
are  generally  more  numerous  in  vocal  expression  than 
in  mere  printing,  but  even  the  printing  should  be  scanned 
and  the  lesson  carefully  prepared  in  this  respect.  Vocal 
expression  goes  farther  in  paragraphing  than  writing. 

The  preacher  should  adopt  some  method  of  recording 
his  studies.  Not  that  the  investigation  made  of  a  lesson 
will  enable  him  to  prepare  the  same  lesson  more  rapidly 
if  he  should  read  it  again,  but  such  a  list  will  enable 
a  preacher  or  reader  from  time  to  time  to  compare  his 
comprehensive  studies  of  books  and  passages  and  criti- 
cise himself  upon  the  nature  and  variety  of  the  lessons 
he  has  read. 


XXVIII.     THE   PREPARATION   OF  THE 
LESSON 

EVERY  Scripture  lesson  has  a  character  of  its  own, 
and  however  insignificant  the  occasion,  however  short 
the  passage  may  be,  it  should  be  read  with  specific 
adaptation  to  the  situation,  circumstances,  and  the  per- 
sons present.  More  than  a  general  knowledge  of  the 
Bible  is  needed. 

Every  picture  and  situation  must  be  so  fresh  in  the 
mind,  every  thought  so  familiar  and  the  realization  of 
all  so  intense,  that  the  emotions  will  be  spontaneously 
awakened  and  that  all  the  modulations  of  the  voice 
will  naturally  result  and  be  harmoniously  united. 

It  seems  strange  that  many  preachers  neglect  such 
preparation.  Formerly  there  was  a  class  of  preach- 
ers who  felt  it  was  wrong  to  prepare  a  sermon.  At 
some  "  meeting  "  or  "  association  "  there  would  be  a 
pulpit  full  of  preachers,  and  after  the  congregation 
had  sung  several  hymns,  it  would  be  decided  who  was 
to  preach,  or  the  preacher,  who  had  been  previously 
appointed,  might  feel  sufficient  inspiration  to  rise  and 
begin  the  service.  Sometimes  others  would  conduct 
the  opening  exercises.  Then  the  preacher  would  begin, 
and  gradually  work  himself  up  to  a  state  of  ecstasy. 
This  was  called  "  Hard-shell  preaching."  The  minister 
spoke  under  the  "influence  of  the  Spirit"  or  through 
direct  inspiration.  Happily  this  kind  of  preaching  has 

293 


294  THE   SERVICE 

long  passed,  except  in  some  regions  remote  from  civili- 
zation. But  Hard-shell  reading  is  still  common.  A 
member  of  a  committee  of  prominent  clergymen,  who 
were  judges  at  a  contest  to  award  prizes  for  reading 
the  Scriptures,  said  that  the  young  men  read  too  well, 
that  they  ought  not  to  have  prepared  their  passage,  or 
been  given  the  opportunity  to  prepare  it,  even  twenty- 
four  hours  in  advance,  as  was  the  case  with  these  young 
men,  as  a  "reader  of  the  Scriptures  was  liable  to  be 
called  upon  even  after  he  entered  the  pulpit  to  read 
the  Bible,  and  the  true  training  of  the  men  should 
recognize  that  custom,  so  that  they  should  read  it  at 
sight."  I  was  present  and  heard  this  remark,  or  I 
should  not  have  believed  such  sentiments  possible  in 
any  educated  community. 

However  familiar  a  man  may  be  with  the  Scriptures, 
however  able  to  command  himself  in  an  emergency,  so 
as  to  read  a  few  words  or  a  short  lesson,  no  conscien- 
tious minister  who  understands  the  nature  of  vocal 
expression  will  allow  himself  to  neglect  the  thorough 
conscientious  preparation  of  the  lesson  he  is  to  read. 
He  may  have  studied  it  thoroughly  years  before,  but  he 
knows  that  this  is  not  enough.  There  must  be  a  pres- 
ent readiness,  a  freshness  of  thought  and  feeling. 

Suppose  a  man  should  practise  preaching  old  ser- 
mons, reading  them  without  thorough  study.  What 
effect  would  that  have  upon  an  audience?  It  would 
put  them  to  sleep.  A  man  must  live  the  ideas.  If 
old  sermons  are  considered  dangerous  by  the  living 
preacher  who  knows  his  work  and  the  nature  of  the 
human  heart,  the  same  principle  applies  also  to  a  Scrip- 
ture lesson,  which  always  requires  fresh  meditation  and 
preparation. 


THE   PREPARATION   OF   THE  LESSON  295 

Vocal  expression  demands  that  thought  and  feeling 
should  be  living  and  present.  Emotion  cannot  be  kept 
for  years.  There  must  be  a  re-contemplation  of  each 
idea,  a  re-creation  of  every  scene,  a  re-application  of 
knowledge.  Only  intense  study  and  meditation  a  short 
time  before  reading  can  give  a  passage  adequate  expres- 
sion. Thought  may  be  prepared  and  presented  after 
long  years  more  adequately  than  imagination  and  emo- 
tion. Feeling  must  always  be  a  present,  living  realiza- 
tion, or  it  is  not  feeling  at  all.  But  even  thought  will 
lose  all  fresh  or  imaginative  responsiveness,  and  will  be 
cold  and  dead,  without  being  once  more  thought  out 
and  its  grounds  carefully  examined. 

Last  of  all,  there  must  be  a  spiritual  realization  of  the 
message ;  an-  application  of  it  to  the  reader's  own  expe- 
rience. Nothing  can  compensate  for  lack  of  this. 
Without  this  part  of  the  preparation  of  the  lesson, 
there  will  be  a  certain  aloofness  in  the  reading,  a  cer- 
tain separation  of  the  thought  and  feeling  from  the 
reader's  own  soul. 

In  short,  every  lesson  should  be  thoroughly  prepared. 
There  must  not  be  a  doubt  remaining  as  to  the  meaning 
of  any  word  or  clause.  Any  passage  whose  meaning  is 
not  comprehended  should  be  omitted.  To  cover  up  the 
definite  and  specific  meaning  of  the  passage  by  slurring 
it  over,  as  is  so  often  done,  has  a  very  bad  effect  upon 
the  reader's  vocal  expression  —  not  to  say  his  character 
and  life.  Truth  in  vocal  expression  is  just  as  necessary 
as  truth  in  words.  Possibly  a  failure  to  tell  the  exact 
truth  by  the  modulations  of  the  voice  or  the  natural 
languages  has  a  more  serious  effect  upon  the  character 
than  an  inaccurate  statement,  even  in  words.  It  is  f  alsi- 


296  THE   SERVICE 

fying  a  reader's  own  realization  ;  it  is  untruthfulness  of 
feeling. 

Of  course,  a  reader  of  the  Scriptures  will  say  he  has 
no  time.  He  will  devote  the  whole  week  to  the  sermon, 
and  a  very  few  minutes  to  the  lesson,  but  in  these  days 
of  topical  preaching,  a  sermon  is,  as  a  rule,  only  upon 
a  verse  or  phrase  of  Scripture.  But  the  expression 
demands  a  continuity  and  unity  in  the  comprehension  of 
the  whole  passage,  and  requires  as  thorough  study  as 
the  text  itself  upon  which  the  preacher  bases  his 
sermon. 

The  reader  should  investigate  every  aspect  of  his  les- 
son. He  should  examine  every  historical  reference,  he 
must  extend  his  studies  to  the  age,  the  time,  and  the 
place,  to  the  very  life  and  spirit  of  the  writer  or  speaker 
and  the  hearers  to  whom  the  words  were  originally 
addressed.  In  his  searching  investigation,  he  must  find 
material  for  his  imagination  so  that  he  can  truthfully 
construct  a  living  situation  and  scene. 

If  Holman  Hunt  made  prolonged  visits  to  Jerusalem 
and  devoted  years  to  the  study  of  the  facts  in  order  to 
paint  "  Christ  in  the  Temple,"  or  "  The  Shadow  of  the 
Cross,"  if  a  painter,  to  portray  a  single  scene,  requires 
such  careful  and  accurate  study,  how  can  negligence 
be  forgiven  in  the  preacher  who  is  to  paint  by  his  voice 
the  Biblical  narrative,  the  characters  and  the  spirit  and 
thought  of  that  age  ? 

The  reader  should  carefully  study  the  customs  of  the 
Bible.  These  are  frequently  so  involved  in  the  passage 
that  men  miss  the  meaning  of  them.  For  example,  the 
parable  of  the  lost  piece  of  money  (Luke  xv.)  is  not 
understood  by  many,  because  they  fail  to  realize  the 


THE   PREPARATION   OF   THE   LESSON  297 

significance  of  the  "ten  pieces  of  silver."  To  appre- 
ciate the  story  requires  some  knowledge  of  the  symbolic 
significance  of  these  pieces.  The  word  "  friends "  is 
feminine  in  the  Greek.  Drs.  Hovey,  Weston,  and 
Broadus,  in  their  version,  translate  it,  "  She  called 
together  her  female  friends  and  neighbors."  This  is 
true  to  the  original.  Only  these  could  appreciate  the 
significance  she  attached  to  the  piece  of  money  she  had 
lost.  To  the  Master's  audience,  the  parable  did  not 
have  less  but  more  force  than  the  parable  of  the  lost 
sheep. 

The  most  important  preparation  is  a  personal  realiza- 
tion, even  demonstration  of  the  spiritual  force  and  power 
of  the  passage.  Men  repeat,  over  and  over,  passages  of 
Scripture  without  personally  applying  them  to  them- 
selves. The  point  of  many  passages  is  too  often 
regarded  as  something  past,  as  applying  to  a  remote 
age  of  the  world,  but  not  to  the  present,  as  belonging  to 
a  past  dispensation,  and  having  no  application  to  the 
soul  at  the  present  time.  There  can  be  no  passage  read, 
whatever  be  our  views  regarding  it,  that  will  not  be 
found  to  have  a  direct,  personal  application  to  ourselves. 
A  Scripture  lesson  is  not  read  for  entertainment,  or 
amusement,  or  merely  for  instruction ;  it  is  read  with 
reference  to  the  spiritual  application  of  truth  to  the  souls 
of  a  congregation  of  worshippers. 


XXIX.     THE   SPIRIT   OF  THE  GREEK 

ALL  laws  of  thinking,  as  they  relate  to  ordinary 
speaking,  apply  to  the  reading  of  the  Bible.  But  to  find 
the  deepest  meaning  of  a  sentence  or  the  relative  value 
of  words  and  ideas,  as  a  preparation  of  a  passage  for 
reading,  we  have  an  additional  help  in  the  structure 
of  the  Greek. 

Greek  is  one  of  the  most  flexible  of  languages.  The 
position  of  a  word  is  not  necessary  to  show  its  gram- 
matical relations,  as  in  English.  The  words  in  Greek 
can  be  so  mixed  up  as  to  seem  chaotic  and  confused  to 
the  mind  of  an  Englishman ;  but  beneath  the  seeming 
lack  of  coherence  are  principles  and  laws  determining 
the  true  meaning  or  force  of  a  passage. 

Among  the  causes  of  the  order  of  the  words  in  Greek 
are  euphony,  grammatical  relationship  or  clearness,  and 
the  relative  importance  or  logical  relationship  of  ideas. 
Of  course,  there  is  occasionally  a  conventional  order,  like 
"  land  and  sea,"  but  in  general  the  words  are  placed  in 
the  order  of  the  conceptions  of  the  mind. 

In  English,  a  conventional  order  is  necessary.  Other- 
wise ambiguity  or  even  incoherence  results.  Of  the 
natural  order  so  common  in  the  Greek  we  know  little. 
It  was  the  inflectional  character  of  Greek  and  Hebrew 
and  other  languages  which  enabled  readers  to  follow  the 
natural  order  of  thought  rather  than  the  grammatical 
relations  of  the  words;  for  example,  in  the  sentence, 

298 


THE   SPIRIT  OF  THE   GREEK  299 

"  Whence  to  us  in  a  wilderness  loaves  so  many  as  to 
feed  a  multitude  so  great."  This  is  not  an  English  but 
a  Greek  order  of  words.  Though  the  force  of  such  an 
order  cannot  be  shown  by  English  words,  it  can  be 
revealed  by  the  modulations  of  the  voice. 

That  there  is  a  natural  order  of  ideas,  can  be  seen  in 
the  case  of  deaf  mutes.  Suppose  a  mute  child  comes 
with  its  playmate  and  tells  his  teacher,  "  He  struck  me." 
In  stating  this  in  the  English  language  there  is  no 
chance  for  variation  in  the  three  words.  But  the  deaf 
mute  will  put  the  sign  for  "  he,"  for  "  struck,"  or  for 
"me"  first,  according  to  the  association  of  ideas  —  ac- 
cording, that  is,  to  that  which  is  uppermost  or  most  im- 
portant in  his  mind.  It  is  natural  to  form  a  conception 
of  what  is  most  important  first. 

In  the  study  of  Greek  we  can  lay  down  as  a  general 
principle  that  whenever  any  word  is  found  out  of  its 
ordinary  place,  unusual  importance  is  attached  to  it. 

It  may  be  well  to  summarize  and  illustrate  some  ways 
in  which  the  Greek  indicates  the  natural  order  or  the 
accentuation  of  an  idea  by  changes  in  the  position  of 
the  words.  While  we  may  not  be  able  to  translate  all 
these  changes  into  English  words,  a  reader  who  has 
command  of  the  vocabulary  of  delivery  and  feels  the 
force  of  the  passage  can  suggest  them  by  the  modula- 
tions of  the  voice.  It  must  be  recognized,  however, 
that  this  force  cannot  be  shown  by  mere  emphasis  of 
special  words.  All  the  modulations  in  a  wide  variety  of 
combinations  are  required.  But  an  intelligent  reader 
of  the  Scriptures  will  not  stop  short  of  any  work  or  help 
that  will  enable  him  to  express  the  real  meaning  and 
spirit  of  a  passage. 


300  THE   SERVICE 

These  changes  from  ordinary  arrangement,  order,  or 
use  of  words  in  the  Greek  may  be  divided  into  five  gen- 
eral classes  :  Precedence,  which  is  more  important  from 
the  point  of  view  of  logic ;  Postponement,  which  is 
rhetorical  rather  than  logical,  and  is  not  very  common ; 
Proximity  ;  Separation ;  and  Repetition. 

i.  Precedence.  —  There  are  innumerable  examples  of 
this  in  the  New  Testament.  "  Great  is  Diana  of  the 
Ephesians  "  —  the  word  "great,"  by  being  placed  first, 
is  made  emphatic  even  in  English.  Matthew  ii.  6,  "  By 
no  means  least  art  thou  among  the  princes  of  Judah." 
The  strong  negative  is  first,  and  the  word  for  "  least "  is 
next.  These  words  should,  therefore,  be  made  emphatic. 
In  I  Corinthians  xv.,  "  But  this  I  say,  brethren  "  —  the 
word  for  "  this  "  is  emphatic  by  precedence.  So  in 
i  Corinthians  xiii.  9,  "  in  part "  is  made  emphatic  in  the 
same  way.  The  force  of  these  words  was  no  doubt 
indicated  by  the  Greeks  in  their  vocal  expression,  and 
the  arrangement  of  the  words  shows  their  great  mas- 
tery of  the  art.  In  i  Corinthians  xv.  32,  "  If  the  dead 
are  not  raised"  is  often  punctuated  with  the  preceding 
sentence,  whereas  it  belongs  to  the  next  and  is  emphatic 
by  precedence. 

Priority  and  preplacement  are  very  common  in  the 
New  Testament  as  indicative  of  emphasis.  See  for 
some  examples  Luke  xv.  Several  classes  of  precedence 
may  be  enumerated  :  — 

The  adjective  before  its  noun.  Naturally,  in  Greek, 
the  noun  precedes  and  the  adjective  follows.  When 
this  is  reversed,  it  indicates  emphasis.  In  Matthew  xxv. 
24,  the  word  "  hard"  preceding  its  noun  has  more  value. 
The  same  is  true  respecting  the  different  kinds  of  wine 
in  John  ii.  10. 


THE   SPIRIT  OF  THE  GREEK  301 

The  genitive  before  its  noun.  In  i  Corinthians  iii.  9, 
the  word  "  God  "  occurs  three  times  in  the  genitive ;  in 
all  cases  it  precedes  its  noun,  and  is  emphatic. 

The  dative  and  accusative  cases  before  their  verbs  or 
their  nouns,  as  in  i  Corinthians  ii.  4. 

The  pronoun  before  its  antecedent.  The  same  occurs 
in  English  but  not  frequently. 

The  verb  before  its  subject.  See  Hebrews  xi.  32. 
From  the  structure  of  this  sentence,  is  "  fail "  or  "  time  " 
emphatic  ? 

Predicate  nouns  may  be  made  emphatic  by  position. 
(See  John  i.  i.)  Also  the  predicate  adjective,  also 
adverbs  before  the  verbs  they  qualify. 

Precedence  applies  to  words  in  every  conceivable 
grammatical  relation,  and  even  to  clauses.  "  In  part  we 
know,  and  in  part  we  prophesy"  (i  Corinthians  xiii.  9). 

In  general  any  word,  phrase,  or  clause  placed  first, 
out  of  its  natural  location,  arrests  attention,  and  is 
important. 

2.  Postponement.  —  A  word  is  made  important  not 
only  by  priority,  but  is  often  postponed  and  given  at  the 
end  of  the  sentence.  Sometimes  two  words  may  be 
made  emphatic ;  one  by  preplacement  and  the  other  by 
postplacement.  In  case  of  doubt,  precedence  is  con- 
sidered more  important.  For  illustrations  of  postplace- 
ment, in  Hebrews  vii.  22,  note  the  position  of  the  word 
"  Jesus."  In  i  Corinthians  xiii.  i,  the  word  "  angels  "  is 
delayed  to  the  end  of  the  clause;  there  seems  to  be 
something  of  a  climactic  accent  upon  this  word,  and 
postponement  gives  this  effect. 

Words  in  almost  any  grammatical  construction  may  be 
made  emphatic  by  delay.  In  Hebrews  vi.  19,  notice  the 


302  THE  SERVICE 

position  of  the  words  translated  "sure  and  steadfast." 
In  John  vii.  38,  notice  the  position  of  "living  water." 
The  Greek  word  for  "rivers"  is  placed  first  and  the 
words  "  living  water  "  last  in  the  clause,  both  emphatic. 
This  shows  the  great  flexibility  of  the  Greek.  Vocal 
expression  may  indicate  this  emphasis  by  a  long  pause 
after  "  rivers  "  and  a  strong  inflection  on  both  words. 

3.  Proximity,  or  juxtaposition.    In  Matthew  x.  21,  the 
Greek  order  is  "brother,  brother  shall  deliver  up,  and 
father,  child."    See  Hebrews  xi.  4,  where  Cain  and  Abel 
are  placed  in  juxtaposition.     In  i  Peter  ii.  7,  note  the 
position  in  the  Greek  of  the  words  translated  "believe" 
and  "  disbelieve."     Though  far  apart  in  the  English  ver- 
sion, they  are  in  immediate  proximity  in  the  Greek. 
"  If  Satan  cast  out  Satan,"  the  two  nouns  in  Greek  are 
in  immediate  juxtaposition. 

4.  Separation.  —  In  the  apostolic  benediction,  "  Grace 
be  unto  you,  and  peace,"  this  order  of  words,  which  is 
borrowed  from  the  Greek,  makes  both  words  emphatic. 
In  all  cases  where  precedence  and  postponement  are  both 
used  for  emphasis,  we  have  an  illustration  of  this  principle. 
In  i  Corinthians  xiii.  i,  "  Though  with  the  tongues  of  men 
I  should  speak  and  of  angels  "  maybe  regarded  by  some 
as  a  case  of  separation,  but  the  emphasis  falls  on  the 
second  or   postponed  word.     So  postponement  is  per- 
haps the  principle,  while  in  the  clause  "  rivers  "  shall 
flow  of  "living  water,"  both  words  are  emphatic.     Both 
are  generally  made  emphatic  by  juxtaposition  or  separa- 
tion, only  one  by  precedence  and  postponement.     There 
may  be  separation,  however,  independently  of  the  two 
other   principles.     Proximity  and   separation  are  often 
used  for  antitheses.     Every  forcible  writer  uses  many 


THE   SPIRIT   OF  THE  GREEK  303 

antitheses.  They  are  found  throughout  the  New  Testa- 
ment, and  especially  in  the  writings  of  Paul. 

5.  Repetition,  or  Pleonasm.  —  In  Greek,  the  personal 
pronouns  are  implied  in  the  inflection  of  the  verb,  and 
are  expressed  chiefly  to  indicate  emphasis.  Note  the 
force  of  the  word  "thou"  in  2  Timothy  iv.  5.  After 
speaking  of  others  and  their  lack  of  faithfulness,  Paul 
brings  his  message  home  to  Timothy,  himself,  "But 
thou''  This  exhortation  is  a  personal  one  to  Timothy. 

In  Matthew  xxvii.  n,  in  "Art  thou  the  King  of  the 
Jews  ?  "  the  "thou  "  is  expressed  in  the  original.  Vocal 
expression  should  not  strongly  accentuate  this  word ; 
in  fact,  the  ordinary  mechanical  methods  of  emphasis 
will  pervert  its  spirit.  Still  the  word  "thou"  has  a 
peculiar  value ;  the  reader  must  realize  this  and  find  in 
the  modulations  of  his  voice  some  coloring  to  express 
the  special  value  of  this  word. 

"  There,"  says  Canon  Farrar,  "  amid  those  voluptuous 
splendours,  Pilate,  already  interested,  already  feeling  in 
this  prisoner  before  him  some  nobleness  which  touched 
his  Roman  nature,  asking  Him  in  pitying  wonder, 
'Art  thou  the  King  of  the  Jews?' — thou  poor  worn, 
tear-stained  outcast,  in  this  hour  of  thy  bitter  need  — 
O  pale,  lonely,  friendless,  wasted  man,  in  thy  poor 
peasant  garments,  with  thy  tied  hands  and  the  foul 
traces  of  the  insults  of  thine  enemies  on  thy  face  and 
on  thy  robes  —  thou,  so  unlike  the  fierce,  magnificent 
Herod,  whom  this  multitude  which  thirsts  for  thy  blood 
acknowledged  as  their  sovereign — art  thou  the  King  of 
the  Jews  ? "  Some  may  regard  this  as  mere  rhetoric. 
But  if  we  turn  to  the  Greek,  we  can  see  that  it  is  cor- 
rect exegesis, 


304  THE   SERVICE 

In  Matthew  i.  21,  "  He  (himself)  shall  save  his  people 
from  their  sins,"  the  pronoun  is  expressed,  and  is 
emphatic.  In  Galatians  ii.  19,  20,  the  pronoun  "I"  is 
found  six  times  in  the  English  version,  and  is  expressed 
twice  in  the  Greek  for  a  very  subtle  degree  of  emphasis. 
In  John  v.  33,  "  Ye  sent  unto  John,"  the  "ye"  is  ex- 
pressed in  the  Greek.  The  word  "  I  "  in  the  next  sen- 
tence is  expressed.  "The  witness,  which  I  myself 
receive,  is  not  from  man."  "Ye  take  him,"  said  Pilate 
to  the  Jews.  They  said,  "  We  have  no  right." 

Sometimes  repetition  or  pleonasm  applies  to  other 
words  or  parts  of  speech,  as  in  I  Corinthians  x.  1-4, 
where  the  word  "  all "  is  five  times  repeated.  Repeti- 
tion, however,  is  not  so  important  in  the  Greek  as  in 
the  Hebrew. 

The  Greek  structure  indicates  great  variety  of  mean- 
ings and  fulness  of  life,  which  can  never  be  shown  or 
expressed  by  so  called  "emphasis."  Every  language 
has  its  own  idioms.  Greek  idioms  can  rarely  be  trans- 
lated into  English.  Possibly  the  most  idiomatic  ex- 
pressions of  any  language  are  the  more  nearly  related 
to  its  vocal  expression.  One  who  knows  his  Greek 
Testament  must  study  a  passage  and  obtain  a  thorough 
understanding  and  realization  of  its  meaning,  making 
the  thought  and  feeling  entirely  his  own,  before  his 
knowledge  of  Greek  will  be  of  any  assistance.  Even 
then  he  must  have  command  of  the  vocabulary  of  de- 
livery, that  he  may  suggest  the  fulness  of  life  he  finds 
in  the  Greek,  not  by  words,  but  by  his  own  voice. 
Vocal  expression  reveals  to  another  the  whole  life  of 
the  mind,  only  the  concepts  of  which  are  represented 
by  words.  The  delicate  sense  of  relations  and  relative 


THE   SPIRIT  OF  THE  GREEK  305 

values  of  ideas  can  be  revealed  by  vocal  expression ; 
and  whatever  gives  a  reader  a  fuller  and  deeper  realiza- 
tion of  the  meaning,  whether  from  study  of  the  original 
or  his  own  personal  experience,  can  be  suggested  by  the 
modulations  of  the  voice. 

All  language  is  imperfect.  John  Stuart  Mill  said 
Plato  and  Aristotle  made  many  mistakes  because  they 
knew  only  one  language.  A  man  who  knows  but  one 
language  is  apt  to  take  words  for  things.  So  a  reader 
of  the  Bible  should  feel  the  life  and  thought  below  the 
words  and  the  functions  of  all  modulations  that  reveal 
this  life.  A  study  of  the  deeper  meaning  of  the  Greek, 
which  cannot  be  translated  into  English,  may  help  one 
to  realize  and  use  the  power  of  the  voice  to  suggest 
this. 

Among  the  many  things  in  Greek  which  English 
cannot  hint,  are  the  many  degrees  of  emphasis  of  nega- 
tives, but  vocal  expression  can,  in  a  measure,  even  inti- 
mate these.  Again,  in  the  last  chapter  of  John,  in 
Christ's  questions  to  Peter  (see  p.  254),  the  power  of  the 
different  words  in  the  Greek  for  "love"  cannot  be  indi- 
cated by  English  words.  The  awkward  phrases  that 
have  been  invented  to  express  this  delicate  progression 
are  wholly  inadequate.  The  best  way  to  do  this  is  by  a 
change  in  the  coloring  of  the  voice. 

It  may  help  the  student  at  first  to  place  marks  in  his 
Bible  to  indicate  unusual  meanings  which  he  has  found 
in  his  Greek  and  other  studies.  This  will  be  a  record 
to  remind  him  of  these  meanings,  and  will  prevent  him 
from  regarding  phraseology  as  something  sacred  in 
itself,  or  forgetting  that  reverence  belongs  entirely  to 
the  meaning. 


306  THE   SERVICE 

The  lover  of  Greek,  who  realizes  the  sublime  fulness 
of  its  meaning  and  has  a  thorough  command  of  the 
language  of  vocal  expression,  must  learn  that  even  the 
Greek  is  a  verbal  language,  and  that  after  all  it  is  only 
the  soul's  realization  of  the  thought  and  feeling  which 
can  be  revealed  through  the  voice.  Too  much  depend- 
ence upon  the  Greek  may  sometimes  hinder  the  fulness 
and  real  adequacy  of  expression.  There  are  some 
dangers  in  emphasizing  specific  words  even  though 
emphasis  should  seemingly  accord  with  the  original. 
Many  books  have  been  published  recently  with  great 
show  of  scholarship  to  give  assistance  in  reading  the 
Bible.  In  these  an  endeavor  is  made  to  print  the  words 
in  English  in  such  a  way  as  to  indicate  their  relative  im- 
portance in  Greek.  Two  or  three  degrees  of  emphasis 
are  sometimes  indicated  by  means  either  of  marks  or  of 
different  type.  Students  have  been  known  to  give  large 
sums  to  have  their  New  Testament  marked  by  some  elo- 
cutionist. In  no  case  have  I  found  these  methods  per- 
manently helpful.  I  have  never  known  one  who,  having 
entire  command  of  vocal  expression  and  a  proper  vocab- 
ulary of  the  modulations  of  the  voice,  did  not  come  to 
regard  such  books  as  hindrances.  In  a  general  way, 
such  books  may  give  assistance  in  the  preparation  of 
the  lesson  by  hinting  at  some  meaning  hitherto  over- 
looked ;  still  they  give  the  force  of  the  Greek  vaguely. 
One  who  knows  Greek  has  no  use  for  them,  and  one 
who  does  not  know  Greek  is  apt  to  obtain  a  false  im- 
pression because  knowledge  of  a  language  is  useless 
unless  we  can  think  in  it.  Such  books  remind  one  of 
what  Phillips  Brooks  said  of  some  other  ministerial 
helps;  that  they  were  like  most  books  on  etiquette, 


THE  SPIRIT   OF  THE  GREEK  307 

"  unintelligible  to  those  who  need  them  and  needless  to 
those  who  can  understand  them." 

But  there  are  deeper  questions  involved  in  their  use, 
and  their  multiplication  is  a  sad  commentary  on  the 
universal  ignorance  of  the  real  nature  of  vocal  expres- 
sion. In  the  first  place,  the  true  expression  of  a  passage 
never  depends  on  one  word,  and  least  of  all  on  the  so- 
called  "  emphasis "  of  one  word.  Entirely  too  much 
stress  has  been  laid  in  Bible  reading  on  the  "  emphatic 
word."  The  modulations  of  the  voice  are  complex,  and 
in  the  natural  unity  of  vocal  expression  no  one  modula- 
tion, as  has  been  shown,  can  be  isolated  from  the  others. 
Vocal  expression  is  a  living  language.  It  is  directly 
related  to  ideas  and  to  the  thinking  mind.  A  phrase  or 
sentence  can  be  so  spoken  as  to  suggest  the  fulness  of 
life.  Every  word  receives  some  kind  of  modulation  which 
relates  it  to  the  general  thought  of  the  sentence.  Even 
in  the  giving  of  one  word  all  these  modulations  are  united 
to  show  different  phases  or  aspects  of  the  meaning. 

These  works  show  an  overestimate  of  mere  words, 
and  a  misconception  of  the  function  of  the  natural 
languages.  Words  are  successive ;  modulations  are 
simultaneous.  For  this  reason,  vocal  expression  is 
governed  by  different  laws,  —  the  laws  of  thinking  and 
feeling  of  nature  and  art,  and  not  the  rules  of  grammar 
and  rhetoric. 

Vocal  expression  cannot  be  recorded.  There  is  no 
system  of  marks  which  can  give  more  than  a  mere  hint 
of  some  one  of  the  modulations  isolated  from  the  others 
with  which  it  is  vitally  connected.  No  mark  has  ever 
been  able  to  indicate  one-tenth  of  the  meaning  found  in 
even  one  of  these  modulations. 


308  THE  SERVICE 

Take,  for  example,  inflection.  The  rising  and  the 
falling  inflection  may  be  indicated,  and  the  words  where 
these  inflections  occur.  But  nothing  can  be  indicated 
of  the  length  or  abruptness  of  these  inflections,  nothing 
of  the  change  of  pitch  or  tone-color ;  so  that  such 
marks  exaggerate  the  importance  of  direction  of  inflec- 
tion. Sometimes  readers,  by  following  such  marks  too 
exclusively,  become  mechanical  and  cold.  The  use  of 
marks,  even  the  reader's  own,  —  unless  as  a  mere  record 
of  personal  investigation,  —  violates  instinct,  and  causes 
the  reader  to  overlook  the  deeper  meaning  of  a  passage. 

Such  marks  may  temporarily  help  one  who  has  no 
teacher  to  break  up  some  bad  habits,  but  he  must  grow 
out  of  their  use  very  soon  or  he  will  become  mechanical. 

Every  language  has  a  vocal  expression  more  or  less 
peculiar  to  itself.  The  modulations  of  the  English 
language  are  due,  many  of  them,  to  the  fact  that  our 
language  lacks  inflectional  modulations.  We  do  not 
know  what  Greek  vocal  expression  was.  They  must 
have  rendered  their  language  with  marvellous  flexibility, 
—  the  variations  and  structure  of  its  metres  suggest 
wonders  of  their  delivery  which  are  not  found  in  modern 
Greek.  To  most  of  us  their  vocal  expression  is  lost. 
The  peculiar  structure  of  their  language  is  only  vaguely 
hinted  at,  and  its  subtler  meanings  can  be  discerned,  if  at 
all,  only  by  great  scholars  able  to  realize  by  their  imagina- 
tion the  vocal  modulations  of  the  natural  Greek  speaker. 

A  mere  technical  knowledge  of  Greek,  however 
thorough,  may  be  no  help  to  the  interpretation  of  the 
Scriptures.  The  suggestions  of  the  Greek  structure,  the 
ideas  which  cannot  be  conveyed  by  the  English  trans- 
lation, must  be  assimilated.  The  reader  must  be  able 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  THE  GREEK  309 

to  think  imaginatively  in  the  Greek,  to  adopt  the  Greek 
point  of  view.  When  a  scholar  relies  merely  upon  facts 
without  using  his  imagination  and  sympathies,  his  read- 
ing will  be  necessarily  poor.  In  fact,  the  Greek  spirit 
must  be  gained,  not  alone  from  the  Greek  language, 
but  from  Greek  art  and  Greek  poetry,  Greek  oratory 
and  Greek  literature. 

The  suggestions  derived  from  the  study  of  the  lan- 
guage must  furnish  mere  suggestion ;  must  furnish 
material  for  the  dramatic  intuition ;  and  must  be  trans- 
lated, if  not  into  English  words,  into  the  modulations 
of  the  voice. 

It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  Bible  should  be 
read  with  the  natural  conversational  methods  of  English 
speakers.  We  too  often  forget  the  importance  of  Eng-* 
lish  in  New  Testament  studies.  One  cause  of  the  lack 
of  popularity,  especially  in  England,  of  the  Revised 
Version  of  the  Bible  is  due  to  what  Mr.  Moon  has 
indicated  in  the  title  of  his  book,  "  The  Reviser's  Eng- 
lish." This  principle,  however,  applies  not  only  to  Eng- 
lish structure,  but  is  still  more  true  of  natural  vocal 
expression.  The  ease  with  which  it  can  be  read  aloud 
must  be  the  test  even  of  a  version  of  the  Scriptures. 

All  artificial  helps,  therefore,  must  be  secondary  to 
the  personal  realization  of  the  passage.  The  study  of 
the  passage  must  be  thorough,  in  order  to  get  posses- 
sion of  the  meaning  and  awaken  the  reader's  imagina- 
tion and  sympathy.  He  must  live  each  idea  before  he 
gives  it. 

What  is  especially  needed  at  the  present  time  is  more 
adequate  study  of  vocal  expression  and  a  command  of 
the  modulations  of  the  voice.  In  fact,  no  matter  how 


310  THE   SERVICE 

great  may  be  a  scholar's  realization  of  the  meaning  of  a 
passage,  —  and  such  knowledge  can  never  be  too  compre- 
hensive, —  still  all  this  is  but  a  preparation.  To  read  the 
Bible  adequately,  there  must  be,  as  was  once  said,  "  an 
acquaintance  with  the  Bible  in  the  original  English." 


XXX.     THE   SPIRIT   OF  THE  HEBREW 

As  Hebrew  is  one  of  the  primitive  languages,  we  find 
in  it  some  primary  struggles  of  the  human  mind  to  ex- 
press itself  and  direct  indications  of  the  natural  order  of 
ideas.  As  Ewald  says,  a  sentence  often  "receives  the 
tinge  of  juvenile  restlessness  and  vivacity."  Perhaps  no 
language  better  suggests  the  broken  and  explosive 
character  of  passion. 

In  the  ordinary  arrangements  of  words  in  Hebrew,  the 
predicate  precedes  the  subject,  except  when  the  predi- 
cate is  a  noun.  In  this  case  the  subject  precedes ;  also, 
in  descriptive  clauses  the  subject  precedes  the  predicate. 
The  reason  for  this  is  that  in  the  descriptive  clauses  the 
things  are  uppermost  in  the  mind,  but  to  the  Hebrew 
mind  the  act  seems  to  have  been  the  idea  that  was 
uppermost.  In  each  case  the  object  is  usually  last. 

As  in  the  case  of  Greek,  any  departure  from  the 
ordinary  arrangement  of  words  is  indicative  of  emphasis. 

i.  Precedence.  — The  subject  or  object  is  placed  first, 
contrary  to  the  order  in  calm  discourse.  This  indicates 
a  slight  degree  of  emphasis.  The  verb  is  almost  always 
between  the  subject  and  object  in  either  case.  The 
subject  first  in  prose  confers  upon  the  phrase  a  poeti- 
cal coloring  by  transferring  the  predicate  to  the  end. 
"  In  the  beginning  God  created  the  heaven  and  the 
earth."  "In  the  beginning"  is  emphatic  by  prece- 
dence. "  The  lion,  thy  servant  smote."  "  Even  stone 
water  wears  away."  "  In  my  dream,  behold,  I  stood." 

3" 


312  THE   SERVICE 

2.  Postponement.  —  A  more  unusual  order  is  that  of 
verb,  object,  and   subject.     This  gives  prominence   to 
the  last  member,  "  Declares  thy  guilt  thy  mouth." 

3.  Repetition.  —  The   strongest   method  of  emphasis 
in  Hebrew  is  repetition.     So  primitive  is  the  language 
that  it  reflects  the  idioms  of  childhood.     For  example, 
a  boy  may  say,  "  John,  he  struck  me."     This  may  be 
regarded  as  bad  grammar  in  English,  but  it  is  an  idiom 
in    Hebrew,    and    makes  "John"    emphatic.      In   this 
case,  the   uppermost  emphatic  word  is  the  one  which 
stands  for  the  whole  concept  in  the  child's  mind,  and 
the  clause  which  follows  is  the  explanation,  in  apposi- 
tion.    The  expression  is  natural.     In  discourse  which 
is  "  in  any  way  animated,  a  small  word,  which  involun- 
tarily expresses  this  excitement,  likes  to  be  placed  at 
the   beginning   of    the   sentence."     "The   blessing   of 
Jehovah,   it   maketh  rich."      "Jehovah,   him   shall  ye 
sanctify  "  (Isaiah  viii.  13).    "  And  Abel,  he  also  brought." 
"  Righteous,  righteous  "  (Deuteronomy  xvi.  20),  repeti- 
tion of  adjective.    "The  people,  he  made  them  to  pass 
over"  (Genesis  xlvii.  21).     "Jehovah,  in  heaven  is  his 
throne."    "  That  day,  far  off  is  the  time  "  (Micah  vii.  1 1). 

In  ordinary  discourse  the  verb  stands  first.  It  is  not, 
therefore,  emphatic  by  position,  but  is  repeated  for  the 
sake  of  emphasis.  In  repeating  the  verb  there  is  a 
peculiar  construction  in  Hebrew  of  the  infinitive  abso- 
lute at  the  beginning  of  the  sentence  which  repeats 
the  principal  verb.  "Since  the  verb,"  says  Ewald,  "in 
unimpassioned  discourse  already  in  its  own  right  stands 
at  the  head  of  the  sentence,  and,  therefore,  cannot  be 
marked  out  by  its  position  as  emphatic,  it  is  repeated 
fpr  the  sake  of  emphasis,  not,  however,  in  the  crude 


THE   SPIRIT  OF  THE  HEBREW  313 

manner  which  is  distasteful  to  the  language,  but  in 
such  a  way  that  it,  first  of  all,  stands  at  the  beginning 
merely  in  the  form  of  the  infinitive  absolute  —  since  the 
verb  receives  great  force  by  being  placed  in  this  way  at 
the  head  of  the  sentence  —  and  then  is  explained  im- 
mediately afterward  in  the  smoother  form  and  in  the 
way  which,  apart  from  this  emphasis,  it  would  stand  in 
the  discourse.  Thus  there  is  formed  a  mode  of  expres- 
sion which  continues  to  retain  almost  its  original  juve- 
nile and  popular  form,  and  for  that  very  reason  is  as 
intensely  characteristic  of  the  Hebrew  language  as  it  is 
of  frequent  use  in  it,  one,  too,  which  really  only  renders 
prominent  the  emphasis  resting  on  the  verb  among 
the  other  ideas  in  the  sentence ;  in  German  and  Eng- 
lish popular  language  there  is  a  similar  idiom;  as 
'Speak,  he  did  not.'"  There  are  many  examples  in 
the  Old  Testament.  "I  am  escaped,  only  I  "  (Job  i.  15) 
—  pronoun  repeated.  "  In  his  mouth,  also  he  "  ( i  Samuel 
xxv.  24;  2  Samuel  xvii.  5).  "  My  haters  to  me  "  (Psalms 
xxvii.  2)  —  pronoun  repeated. 

The  repetitions  of  pronouns  are  innumerable.  Not 
only  is  the  pronoun  expressed,  but  the  pleonastic  con- 
struction of  pronoun  and  its  noun  in  the  same  sentence 
indicates  strong  emphasis.  The  pronoun  needs  to  be 
repeated  for  emphasis  because  it  is  apt  to  be  so  abbre- 
viated that  it  cannot  receive  prominence  merely  in  virtue 
of  the  position  assigned  to  it.  "  In  case  of  a  pronominal 
suffix,"  says  Ewald,  "which  is  attached  to  a  noun, 
and  which,  as  being  very  much  abbreviated,  is  quite 
unemphatic,  and  yet  cannot  be  separated  from  its  noun 
and  placed  in  front,  strong  emphasis  is  indicated  by 
adding  the  full  form  of  the  personal  pronoun."  "  Reign- 


314  THE   SERVICE 

ing  wilt  thou  reign?"  (Genesis  xxxvii.  8)  —  infinitive 
absolute. 

The  peculiar  structure  of  the  Hebrew  is  more  difficult 
to  render  into  English  than  Greek.  There  is  a  special 
difficulty  in  rendering  Hebrew  poetry,  where  a  sentence 
seems  to  leap  with  the  animation  of  childhood,  making 
translation  well-nigh  impossible.  A  realization,  however, 
of  the  peculiar  childlike  order  of  words,  in  passion  and 
excitement,  will  greatly  assist  in  the  reading  of  Hebrew 
poetry.  Not  only  should  readers  study  the  structure  of 
Hebrew,  but  compare  it  with  the  excited  speech  of 
children  in  order  to  realize  the  primitive,  poetic  em- 
phasis, especially  in  Hebrew  poetry,  and  to  interpret 
the  spirit  of  these  sublime  books. 

Herbert  Spencer,  in  his  Essay  on  the  Philosophy  of 
Style,  in  which  he  traces  the  whole  principle  of  style 
to  one  of  economy,  and  contrasts  the  direct  order  with 
the  indirect  order  of  ideas,  has  a  few  remarks  which 
help  us  to  understand  the  naturalness  of  Hebrew  struc- 
ture. He  speaks  of  some  words  or  phrases  as  due  to 
"  mental  excitement  spontaneously  prompted,"  and  to 
forms  of  speech  which  are  very  brief  and  effective,  such 
as  "Out  with  him!"  "Away  with  him!"  or  other 
utterances  of  angry  citizens.  Farther  on  he  says  that 
extreme  brevity  is  another  characteristic  of  passionate 
language.  "The  sentences  are  generally  incomplete. 
The  particles  are  omitted,  and  frequently  important 
words  are  left  to  be  gathered  from  the  context.  Great 
admiration  does  not  find  itself  expressed  in  a  precise 
phrase  like  '  It  is  beautiful ! '  but  in  a  simple  excla- 
mation — '  Beautiful ! '  So  in  reading  a  letter,  if  one 
should  say  '  Rascal '  —  he  would  be  thought  angry, 


THE   SPIRIT   OF  THE   HEBREW  315 

while  '  He  is  a  vile  rascal ! '  would  imply  comparative 
coolness." 

Such  structure  is  found  in  modern  languages,  but  the 
primitive  Hebrew  leaps  and  dances  with  passion.  A 
study  of  Hebrew  structure  in  relation  to  vocal  expres- 
sion is  valuable  in  itself,  in  that  it  brings  us  into  con- 
tact with  the  natural  order  of  thought  and  the  most 
direct  effect  of  feeling  over  words.  In  such  expressions 
as  "  lovely  !  "  or  "  horrible  !  "  we  find  not  only  few  words, 
but  a  multiplication  and  accentuation  of  the  modulations 
of  vocal  expression.  And,  in  general,  we  find  in  pro- 
portion to  the  number  of  words  there  is  a  lack  of  the 
elements  of  vocal  expression ;  but,  in  proportion  as  the 
words  are  few,  there  is  an  accentuation  and  extension 
of  the  modulations  of  the  voice. 

As  rhythm  is  the  primary  element  or  first  step  in  all 
art,  we  should  naturally  expect  in  the  Hebrew  a  peculiar 
accentuation  or  use  of  this  principle,  —  and  such  is  the 
case.  All  the  later  studies  of  the  Hebrew  language 
recognize  this,  and  one  who  is  sensitive  to  the  Hebrew 
structure  will  feel  that  it  is  not  an  accident,  but  the 
direct  expression  of  the  rhythm  of  the  thought  and  feel- 
ing of  the  speaker  or  writer.  Not  only  parallelism  in 
the  Psalms,  but  even  emphasis  is  now  regarded  as  being 
chiefly  a  matter  of  rhythm  in  the  Hebrew  structure. 

The  principle  of  parallelism  in  the  Psalms  in  its  action 
and  reaction  with  progression  of  emotion  is  not  unique  or 
odd,  but  is  founded  on  a  universal  truth.  To  feel  this, 
one  need  only  take  up  Tennyson's  "  Crossing  the  Bar." 
Here  there  is  a  peculiar  alternation  in  the  verses,  a 
repetition  almost  exactly  corresponding  to  the  Hebrew 
parallelism,  —  with  slight  additions  in  each  parallel 


316  THE   SERVICE 

stanza.  This  sustains  the  emotion,  accentuates  the 
rhythm,  and  maintains  the  contemplative  or  lyric  spirit. 

From  this  we  should  naturally  infer  that  emphasis  in 
Hebrew  is  more  dependent  on  pause  and  touch,  or  the 
rhythmic  elements  of  delivery,  than  upon  the  melodic. 
There  is  a  peculiar  accentuation  of  everything  belonging 
to  rhythm,  and  only  occasionally  does  one  find  the  vigor- 
ous and  long-continued  sustaining  of  the  argument  com- 
mon to  western  nations.  Hebrew  must  not,  however, 
be  regarded  as  not  having  logical  continuity  of  ideas. 
Its  logic  is  peculiar  to  the  age. 

The  character  of  the  Hebrew  language  permitted  not 
only  great  variation  in  the  order  of  the  words,  but  also 
rhythmic  possibilities  hard  for  us  to  discover.  The 
surest  aid  to  the  reading  and  bringing  out  of  the  mean- 
ing of  the  Hebrew  language  is  a  careful  development  of 
the  sense  of  rhythm  and  its  relation  to  vocal  expression. 
The  ability  to  give  the  Hebrew  spirit  is  very  valuable  in 
developing  in  the  preacher  the  power  of  sublime  and 
spiritual  realization.  There  is  hardly  any  exercise  so 
helpful  to  the  voice  in  the  development  of  its  tone-color 
and  decision  of  touch,  as  the  careful  rendering  of  the 
Psalms. 


XXXI.     SELF-CRITICISM 

THE  preparation  of  a  lesson  can  never  consist  in  mere 
theoretic  investigation,  or  even  in  meditation.  These 
are  very  necessary,  but  as  Bible  reading  is  an  art,  direct 
experiment  is  demanded.  The  reader  must  read  his 
lesson  aloud.  He  must  test  its  every  idea,  its  general 
meaning,  its  every  shade  of  emotion  and  the  relation  of 
all  the  parts,  practically  by  his  voice.  However  much 
may  be  learned  from  a  careful  study  of  principles,  all 
will  be  lost  unless  there  is  a  direct  endeavor  to  give 
adequate  expression  alone,  or  to  some  individual,  of  the 
deeper  meanings  of  a  passage.  And  this  practice  should 
not  be  careless  or  thoughtless.  The  reader  should  give 
himself  with  his  heart  and  soul  to  the  direct  expression 
of  every  verse  and  clause,  and  he  must  also  repeat  and 
read  passages  in  many  different  ways,  to  realize  that 
one  which  is  best  for  himself.  For  vocal  expression 
must,  after  all,  be  in  some  sense  personal.  We  can 
only  express  what  is  in  the  depths  of  our  own  soul,  im- 
pressions produced  upon  ourselves,  our  own  realization 
of  meaning,  thought,  and  feeling. 

That  practice  may  not  be  thoughtless  or  fruitless, 
some  tests  are  here  given  by  which  the  reader  can  real- 
ize in  himself  what  is  right  and  what  is  wrong,  what  is 
strong  and  what  is  weak,  what  will  give  the  true  spirit 
of  the  Bible,  and  what  will  be  superficial  and  inadequate. 

If  the  Bible  is  literature,  and  governed  in  its  form  by 

317 


3l8  THE   SERVICE 

the  laws  of  art,  we  must  necessarily  recognize  the  rea\ 
character  and  sacred  mission  of  art.  We  should  also 
study  carefully  the  truthfulness  of  its  laws,  for  the 
nobler  the  literature  the  more  must  these  laws  be  ap- 
plied to  its  vocal  expression. 

The  reader  must  also  recognize  that  these  laws  are  to 
be  applied  by  himself  to  his  own  reading.  He  must  be 
able  to  realize  in  himself  when  he  conforms  to  them, 
and  when  he  violates  them.  Even  criticisms  from 
others  must  be  regarded  as  only  intimations  to  awaken 
the  reader  to  a  recognition  of  the  fundamental  principles 
of  expression. 

Can  any  suggestions  be  made  that  will  aid  the  reader 
in  distinguishing  true  expression,  or  testing  his  obedi- 
ence to  those  laws  in  rendering  a  Scripture  passage? 
Can  any  principle  be  laid  down  by  which  he  can  in  him- 
self realize  that  one  rendering  is  good  and  another  bad  ? 

The  first  test  of  all  must  be  simple  truthfulness.  Is 
the  reading  of  the  word,  clause,  or  passage  genuine  ?  Is 
it  true  to  nature  ?  Is  it  the  reader's  own  vision  of  the 
passage  ?  Or  is  it  mere  sight  at  second  hand,  a  mere 
imitation  ?  Has  he  merely  crammed  the  meaning  from 
a  book,  or  is  it  a  matter  of  personal  experience  ?  Is  the 
rendering  free  from  affectation  ?  Is  it  the  clearest,  the 
most  truthful  rendering  of  the  passage  possible  ?  The 
truthfulness  of  the  whole  passage  must  be  felt,  as  well 
as  the  simple  and  natural  expression  of  each  idea.  The 
reader's  motto  must  ever  be,  "The  truth,  the  whole 
truth,  and  nothing  but  the  truth."  A  reverence  for  the 
truth  is  not  merely  the  foundation  of  the  scientific  spirit, 
but  of  the  artistic  spirit  as  well.  The  basis  of  all  ex- 
pression is  genuineness  and  directness  of  vision  with 


SELF-CRITICISM  319 

sincerity  and  simplicity.  The  reader  must  not  only  have 
the  truth,  but  he  must  see  the  truth  for  himself ;  he 
must  enter  into  a  personal  realization  of  the  meaning 
and  spirit  of  the  passage.  He  must  not  only  do  this 
in  preparing  the  lesson,  but  realize  it  at  the  moment  he 
interprets  it  to  others.  All  true  appreciation  and  expres- 
sion must  centre  in  a  genuine,  direct  realization  of  life. 

All  great  art  is  simple.  The  ability  to  be  simple, 
honest,  and  truthful  is  the  supreme  measure  of  the 
artist.  Fine  elocution  is  worse  than  fine  writing.  There 
must  be  no  stiltedness,  no  straining  for  effect.  The 
primary  questions  for  the  reader  to  ask  himself  are  — 
Do  I  realize  this  passage  ?  Do  I  see  every  scene  as  if 
I  were  there  myself  ?  Are  the  characters  about  which 
I  read  and  whose  words  I  quote,  really  men  and  women  ? 
Do  I  simply  and  directly  express  the  activity  of  my 
own  thinking,  my  own  imagination  ?  Do  I  reveal  the 
experience  of  my  own  heart  in  response  to  the  truth  ? 

Second,  all  nature  has  organic  life  and  all  art  must 
suggest  unity.  Wherever  there  is  chaos  there  can  be 
no  art.  Sudden  and  abrupt  breaks  or  chaotic  explosions 
are  always  wrong.  Every  work  of  art  must  show 
intensity  and  unity  of  life.  Every  modulation  of  the 
voice,  every  touch,  every  change  of  pitch  and  inflection, 
every  subordination  and  transition  must  be  in  unity  with 
the  spirit  of  the  whole  passage. 

Unity  is  not  sameness.  It  implies  variety  and  a 
diversity  which  is  the  result  of  organic  life.  All  art 
must  show  relationship  and  kinship  of  diverse  parts  to 
one  centre. 

Life  reveals  energy  through  its  whole  organism. 
When  a  man  is  asleep,  his  foot  or  his  hand  may  hardly 


320  THE   SERVICE 

seem  to  belong  to  him.  When  he  is  awake,  there  is  life 
in  every  part  of  his  body.  Every  animal  shows  unity 
in  proportion  to  the  accentuation  of  life,  and  where 
there  is  greater  unity,  there  must  be  greater  variety. 
The  greater  the  unity  the  greater  the  suggestion  of 
centrality  and  opposition  among  all  the  parts,  and  pos- 
sibility of  activity  and  variation.  We  can  hardly  make 
too  much  of  this  principle  in  reading  the  Scriptures. 
Unity  is  either  violated  by  too  great  sameness,  or  the 
endeavor  to  introduce  variety  causes  chaos  and  sudden 
transitions  which  destroy  unity.  Unity  must  be  secured 
by  being  genuine  ;  "  No  one  ever  thinks  or  feels  monoto- 
nously," nor,  we  may  add,  chaotically.  Unity  results 
from  a  real  living  of  the  passage. 

A  third  test,  one  very  close  to  this,  is  the  fact  that  in 
truthful,  natural  expression,  the  accentuation  of  one 
modulation  of  the  voice  must  bring  all  the  others  into 
greater  activity,  while  a  wrong  accentuation  of  any  one 
of  these  or  the  use  of  a  weaker  modulation,  will  make  the 
other  modulations  impossible.  For  example,  we  may 
emphasize  by  inflection  or  by  loudness.  Which  is  the 
best  method  ?  The  ranter  will  say  that  mere  inflection 
is  tame;  that  it  lacks  interest  and  force.  It  may  be 
hard  to  convince  him  that  his  loudness  is  crude  and 
vulgar,  that  inflection  appeals  to  man's  rational  nature, 
and  awakens  thinking,  and  tends  to  bring  into  harmony 
pause,  touch,  change  of  pitch,  color,  and  movement, 
while  loudness  tends  to  eliminate  all  these  natural 
means  of  expression.  But  observe  that  an  emphatic 
inflection  requires  also  a  stronger  touch  and  greater 
changes  of  pitch  and  longer  pauses.  It  is  not  in  any 
way  antagonistic  to  the  deepest  feeling  or  to  the  modula- 


SELF-CRITICISM  321 

tions  of  the  texture  and  color  of  the  voice,  and  is  in 
perfect  sympathy  with  the  free  modulation  of  rhythmic 
movement. 

This  furnishes  a  very  simple  and  practical  test  or 
demonstration,  by  means  of  which  the  reader  can  him- 
self realize  the  specific  function  and  relative  rank  and 
correct  use  of  any  expressive  modulation  of  the  voice. 
He  will  find  that  loud  explosions  or  ministerial  tunes 
are  not  only  undignified  and  ignoble,  but  that  they 
destroy  the  natural  unity  and  cooperation  of  all  the 
normal  expressive  modulations  of  the  voice,  while  on 
the  contrary,  the  accentuation  of  any  true  fundamental 
element  will  bring  all  the  others  into  cooperation. 

Fourth.  As  every  Scripture  lesson  in  its  very  nature 
is  an  endeavor  to  awaken  the  ideals  of  men,  it,  therefore, 
should  be  as  ideal  and  noble  as  possible.  Even  when 
weaknesses  or  abnormal  characters  are  referred  to,  they 
are  always  introduced  in  contrast  with  what  is  ideal  and 
noble.  Whatever,  therefore,  in  the  practice  of  a  lesson 
tends  to  weaken  the  expression  of  a  thought  or  emotion 
should  be  avoided,  while  whatever  suggests  power  or 
presents  a  higher  ideal  of  a  truth  or  aspect  should  be 
adopted. 

Emotion  may  be  expressed,  as  has  been  shown,  as 
either  strong  or  weak.  (See  p.  36.)  Pathos  is  a  good 
example.  A  weak  man  will  express  pathos  passively. 
He  does  not  try  to  control,  but  yields  to  despair,  and 
expresses  the  prostration  of  grief  with  minor  inflections, 
while  the  strong  man,  on  the  contrary,  wrestles  with  his 
emotion,  has  more  breath  than  usual,  straight  inflections, 
greater  decision  of  touch,  and  a  softening  of  the  texture 
of  the  voice. 


322  THE   SERVICE 

This  principle  applies  to  any  means  of  expression. 
Take  earnestness,  for  example.  Men  are  apt  to  express 
it  on  a  physical  plane.  A  doubled  fist,  a  crumpled  brow 
are  often  seen,  and  a  high  pitch,  a  loud,  labored  tone 
are  often  heard  as  the  expression  of  animation.  But 
true  earnestness  is  sympathetic.  It  reveals  itself  by 
the  harmonious  activity  of  the  whole  nature ;  it  increases 
and  varies  the  mental  action,  multiplies  the  number  of 
pauses,  the  length  of  inflections,  and  unites  all  the 
modulations.  It  extends  the  form  and  range.  There 
is  more  intense  movement  and  feeling,  for  the  deepest 
and  most  profound  energy  increases  activity  at  the 
centre.  Energy  is  "inward,"  earnestness  holds  force  in 
reserve,  and  only  suggests  its  power  by  the  simplest  out- 
ward sign.  When  all  activity  seems  to  be  on  the  out- 
side, no  genuine  earnestness  is  suggested. 

Bible  reading  often  accentuates  weakness.  What  is 
pathetic  is  made  weak,  not  heroic.  What  is  tender  is 
made  sentimental  rather  than  intensely  tender.  Earnest- 
ness is  often  confused  with  antagonism,  sympathy  with 
pity.  The  reader  of  the  Bible  must  have  a  strong 
realization  of  the  rank  of  different  emotions  and  the 
instinct  of  expressing  them,  otherwise  he  will  be  continu- 
ally stepping  down  from  the  high  to  the  low  and  suggest- 
ing what  is  weak  rather  than  what  is  strong. 

Fifth.  Delsarte's  first  test  was  exaggeration. 
"  Accentuate  the  fundamentals,"  said  he,  "  and  you  will 
have  power;  accentuate  accidentals,  and  you  develop 
mediocrity  and  show  weakness."  This  is  a  very  impor- 
tant principle,  and  can  be  shown  to  cooperate  with  all 
those  which  have  already  been  explained.  It  has  an 
infinite  number  of  applications.  Delsarte's  application 


SELF-CRITICISM  323 

was  to  the  actions  of  the  body,  but  it  applies  to  vocal 
expression  as  well.  Exaggeration  serves  as  the  test  of 
the  difference  between  the  accidental  and  the  funda- 
mental in  all  artistic  following  of  nature.  If  a  man  is  in 
doubt  which  is  the  centre  of  a  sentence,  he  can  discover 
it  by  exaggerating  emphasis.  A  wrong  emphasis  will 
at  once  suggest  a  wrong  antithesis,  and  will  lead  the 
mind  astray  from  the  real  point. 

Notice  that  this  principle  tests  imitation  and  shows 
why  it  is  weak.  Imitation  is  always  an  aggregation  or 
mere  assumption  of  accidentals.  True  delivery  can 
never  be  developed  by  attention  to  accidentals.  Ac- 
centuating accidentals  produces  artificial  and  mechani- 
cal results.  The  accentuating  of  fundamentals,  on  the 
contrary,  secures  self-control,  naturalness,  and  power. 
A  teacher  who  cannot  distinguish  and  develop  funda- 
mentals may  secure  a  seeming  improvement,  but  it  will 
not  be  permanent,  and  in  the  end  will  prove  to  be 
injurious.  Accentuation  of  fundamentals  secures  the 
higher  freedom  of  the  man.  It  does  not  tie  him  down 
to  rule,  but  shows  him  the  possibility  of  free  modulation 
and  use  of  all  his  powers  and  modes  of  expression. 

Applying  this  test,  we  find  that  increase  of  inflection, 
accentuation  of  change  of  pitch,  prolongation  of  a  pause, 
greater  decision  of  touch,  a  change  in  movement,  greater 
variety  in  color,  each  and  all  add  power.  They  show  a 
greater  inward  life,  while  the  accentuation  of  a  circum- 
flex inflection  will  pervert  and  render  undignified  the 
simplest  speech.  The  accentuation  of  an  unnatural  drop 
or  some  element  of  a  ministerial  tune  will  develop  weak- 
ness at  once.  The  fundamental  elements  of  conversa- 
tion must  be  accentuated,  for,  upon  the  increase  of 


324  THE   SERVICE 

these  fundamental  elements  all  effectiveness  in  vocal 
expression  depends.  Only  by  the  accentuation  of  these 
elements  can  any  tune  be  corrected. 

Sixth.  In  all  nature  there  is  a  suggestion  of  cen- 
trality,  a  mystic  centre  of  repose.  It  must  be  shown 
that  all  form  is  force ;  that  in  all  expression,  outward 
manifestation  is  the  result  of  inward  fulness.  Expres- 
sion in  nature  is  always  an  outward  effect  of  an  inward 
cause.  Nature  always  acts  from  within,  outward.  At 
the  centre  there  is  a  mysterious  suggestion  of  repose  or 
a  reserve.  These  principles  must  apply  directly  to 
vocal  expression.  Whenever  there  is  any  straining 
for  effect,  whenever  there  is  some  sudden  and  unusual 
effort  to  make  a  point,  everything  becomes  unnatural 
and  ignoble.  The  noble  expression  shows  that  activity 
at  the  centre  causes  activity  at  the  surface.  The  elocu- 
tion that  calls  attention  directly  to  itself  is  false,  and 
violates  the  fundamental  spirit  of  art.  True  art  con- 
ceals itself.  True  language  is  transparent.  When  lan- 
guage is  not  transparent,  it  is  a  hindrance,  for  it  hides 
what  it  ought  to  reveal.  True  expression  centres  atten- 
tion upon  the  idea,  upon  the  thought,  and  not  upon  the 
manner,  and  he  who  draws  attention  to  manner  violates 
the  fundamental  law  of  all  language  and  expression. 
All  labor  and  straining  for  effect  or  exhibition  are 
antagonistic  to  expression.  Expression  is  a  living  soul 
acting  in  such  a  way  as  to  bring  another  into  unity  with 
its  own  processes.  The  application  of  this  to  Bible 
reading  is  very  important.  A  reading  which  shows 
anxiety,  which  does  not  emphasize  repose,  or  show 
reserve,  should  be  avoided.  Repose  is  always  charac- 
teristic of  great  art.  It  must  not,  however,  be  confused 


SELF-CRITICISM  325 

with  tameness.  It  is  a  sense  of  centrality,  the  subordi- 
nation of  all  that  is  accidental,  and  the  accentuation  of 
what  is  fundamental. 

Seventh,  Suggestiveness.  All  noble  expression  ap- 
peals to  the  mind,  and  not  the  eye  or  ear.  "The  art 
of  expression,"  said  Goethe,  "  is  the  art  of  intimation." 

In  proportion  to  the  dignity  of  art  is  its  suggestive- 
ness.  The  nobler  the  expression,  the  more  it  appeals 
to  the  higher  faculties.  That  which  is  literal  is  always 
low.  The  Bible  reader  must  express  "the  infinite," 
and,  therefore,  "  he  must  suggest  infinitely  more  than 
he  expresses."  True  art  appeals  to  the  imagination. 
It  takes  for  granted  that  men  are  of  the  same  nature, 
and  that  they  can  enter  into  communion  with  each 
other.  Expression  is  neither  reproduction  nor  imi- 
tation. We  cannot  give  our  emotions  to  our  fellow- 
men.  We  can  only  give  a  hint  to  awaken  in  their 
minds  the  same  emotion  because  they  are  of  the  same 
nature.  All  appeals  to  the  imagination  are  delicate. 
On  a  sense  plane  all  things  are  literal.  All  low  art 
appeals  to  the  senses.  The  higher  the  art  the  more 
suggestion  of — 

"  A  deep  below  the  deep, 

And  a  height  above  the  height. 
Our  hearing  is  not  hearing, 
And  our  seeing  is  not  sight." 

The  sublimer  the  art,  the  more  suggestive.  Hence, 
Scripture  reading,  which  aims  to  touch  and  awaken  the 
higher  spiritual  faculties  in  man,  must  obey  the  law  of 
suggestion.  On  a  literal  plane,  expression  is  extremely 
limited.  On  the  higher  plane,  man  can  suggest  infinity ; 


326  THE   SERVICE 

he  can  express  God ;  that  is,  he  can  intimate  to  another 
the  impression,  the  attitude  of  mind  or  emotion,  that  is 
awakened  from  repose  to  the  sublimest  ideas  by  the  law 
of  sympathy. 

True  expression  is  a  manifestation,  an  intimation ;  not 
a  reproduction.  It  is  revelation  rather  than  representa- 
tion. The  reader  must  reveal  the  impression  made 
upon  his  heart;  must  hint  at  the  great  life  which 
awakens  in  contemplating  a  scene  or  truth. 

In  accordance  with  this  principle,  the  reader  of  the 
Bible  must  accentuate  those  clauses  of  Scripture  which 
suggest  the  effects  of  events  upon  the  beholder,  and 
intimate  the  impression  produced  upon  himself  as  a 
spectator.  A  descriptive  clause,  which  seems  at  first 
insignificant,  is  often  more  important  than  the  quotation 
which  he  labors  so  hard  to  represent  dramatically,  an 
effort  that  brings  his  interpretation  down  to  a  literal 
plane.  Participation  must  ever  justify  personation,  the 
epic,  transcend  the  dramatic.  Portraiture  can  only  be 
delicately  suggested,  for  there  must  be  a  deeper  fidelity 
to  the  great  spirit  of  mankind  and  to  the  plan  of  the 
Infinite  for  human  redemption.  In  Scripture  reading, 
dramatic  portraiture  is  always  subordinate  to  sublime, 
epic  realization.  In  the  Bible,  the  dramatic  is  found  as 
a  matter  of  contrast,  and  aids  by  opposition,  but  the 
epic  spirit  is  always  found  at  the  climax. 

That  reading  of  the  Scriptures,  which  is  literal  and 
mechanical,  which  does  not  suggest  the  depths  of  the 
reader's  spiritual  life,  is  wrong ;  whatever  is  the  most 
suggestive  is  best,  whatever  is  least  suggestive  is  to  be 
avoided. 

Beneath  some  of   these  tests,  the   reader   will   find 


SELF-CRITICISM  327 

those  universal  qualities  or  characteristics  of  nature 
that  are  universal  laws  of  all  art.  Unity,  spontaneity, 
freedom,  repose,  power,  suggestiveness,  —  these  must 
be  characteristic  of  every  spiritual  lesson.  These  com- 
parisons with  the  characteristics  of  nature  furnish  the 
highest  tests  of  all.  The  reader  must  have  that  devel- 
opment of  his  taste  and  of  his  intuition  which  will 
enable  him  to  feel  at  once  any  violation  of  these 
qualities  or  laws  of  nature  and  art  in  the  use  of  his 
own  voice. 

The  reader  must  have  a  vision  of  the  lesson  in  his  own 
heart  Where  there  is  no  vision,  all  is  mechanical. 
He  must  trust  his  intuition.  Often  he  will  find  himself 
obeying  some  vague  or  wild  impulse,  or  find  himself 
drifting  in  some  superficial  mood,  unless  he  continually 
compares  his  practice  with  the  great  qualities  of  nature 
or  those  great  masterpieces  of  human  art  that  have 
survived  all  schools  of  criticism  and  fluctuations  of 
taste. 


XXXII.     RESPONSIVE   READING 

SOME  specific  modes  of  Scripture  reading  should 
receive  attention.  Among  these  is  the  reading  of  a 
passage  at  the  opening  of  a  prayer  or  conference  meet- 
ing. It  is  well  for  the  preacher  to  note  the  difference 
between  such  reading  and  that  of  a  lesson  given  at  a 
public  service.  The  reading  of  a  Scripture  lesson  at  a 
prayer-meeting  is  less  formal.  The  lesson  may  be 
shorter.  There  is  greater  freedom  in  the  arrangement 
of  the  lesson  and  in  its  vocal  expression.  The  occasion 
is  more  familiar,  and  explanations  can  be  given  more 
freely.  The  reader  can  make  remarks,  which  are  hardly 
dignified  as  a  part  of  public  worship. 

The  general  law,  however,  is  always  the  same,  and 
every  principle  so  far  unfolded  is  applicable  also  to  the 
reading  of  a  passage  from  the  Bible  at  any  social 
religious  service. 

The  responsive  reading  of  the  Scriptures,  however, 
differs  wholly  from  all  other  vocal  interpretations  of  the 
Bible.  Here,  there  is  an  alternate  reading  between  the 
reader  and  the  congregation  of  certain  portions,  espe- 
cially of  the  Psalms  and  poetical  books.  Such  reading  is 
liturgical  and  more  closely  allied  to  prayer  than  other 
modes  of  reading  the  Bible.  It  may  bear  some  relation 
to  singing,  and,  in  fact,  in  many  of  the  churches,  the 
parts  are  sung  alternately  by  leader  and  choir. 

What  are  the  advantages  of  such  reading  in  wor- 

328 


RESPONSIVE   READING  329 

ship  ?  It  brings  members  of  the  congregation  into 
union  with  each  other  and  with  the  leader,  and  causes 
all  to  participate  in  worship.  It  gives  all  a  feeling  that 
they  have  something  to  do,  and  tends  to  banish  alto- 
gether the  idea,  too  prevalent,  that  men  come  to  church 
for  mere  instruction  or  to  be  merely  interested. 

Responsive  reading  is  a  great  aid  to  the  preacher  also, 
and  helps  him  to  forget  himself  and  to  feel  himself  a 
part  of  the  assembly.  It  gives  him  a  chance  to  awaken 
the  minds  of  his  congregation,  for  by  his  rhythm  he  can 
accentuate  their  thinking  and  feeling. 

The  arguments  against  responsive  reading  of  the 
Scriptures  are  that  it  is  a  mere  form,  that  it  grows  per- 
functory, that  it  causes  the  people  to  read  a  psalm 
without  thought,  that  there  is  necessarily  so  much  hurry 
and  rush  that  thinking  and  especially  feeling  are  impossi- 
ble, that  it  becomes  a  mere  repetition  of  words,  eliminat- 
ing all  vocal  expression,  that  the  leader  himself  cannot  / 
interpret  the  meaning,  and  hence  it  becomes  a  mere 
performance,  with  no  spirit  of  worship. 

To  such  objections  it  may  be  said  that  all  depends 
upon  the  way  responsive  readings  are  conducted.  When 
they  are  given  in  the  right  spirit,  the  leader  can  inter- 
pret the  thought  and  feeling  of  his  line  or  verse.  The 
rush  and  whirl  are  not  necessary,  and  people  may  be 
inspired  to  read  with  sincerity  and  not  to  repeat  as  a 
mere  formality. 

What  are  the  specific  peculiarities  of  vocal  expression 
in  responsive  reading?  The  most  important  has  already 
been  referred  to,  —  accentuation  of  the  concentrated 
thought  and  rhythmic  movement.  Decision  of  touch  can 
be  used  as  a  means  of  commanding  the  attention  of  the 


330  THE   SERVICE 

audience.  There  may  possibly  be  less  saliency  of  inflec- 
tion on  the  part  of  the  congregation,  but  the  leader  need 
not  eliminate  the  most  important  means  of  emphasis  ;  on 
the  contrary,  he  must  give  unusual  accentuation  to  the 
chief  elements  of  expression.  There  will  be,  of  course, 
a  tendency  to  accentuate  rhythm  and  to  use  a  salient 
movement  similar  to  chorus  singing.  The  soloist  may 
change  his  movement  and  give  greater  flexibility  to  his 
expression,  while  the  chorus  must  necessarily  have 
more  general  modulations,  but  there  are  certainly  great 
principles  which  belong  to  the  peculiar  expression  of  a 
chorus,  though  differing  from  the  expression  of  the  solo. 
The  leader  is  more  like  a  soloist,  a  congregation  more 
like  a  chorus. 

In  order  to  read  responsively,  the  leader  must  lead ; 
he  must  give  the  cue  to  the  rhythm.  Otherwise  the 
congregation  will  not  keep  together,  and  all  will  be  con- 
fusion. He  must  express  his  thinking  with  great  definite- 
ness  ;  must  not  drop  into  a  mood.  He  must  read  the 
passage  in  some  degree  as  prayer,  but  it  must  be  none 
the  less  intense  and  vigorous  in  its  movement 


XXXIII.     SOME   SPECIAL   QUESTIONS 

ON  the  verge  of  undertaking  the  reading  of  the  Bible, 
students  are  apt  to  ask  many  questions.  For  example, 
the  reader  may  ask,  "What  version  of  the  Scriptures 
shall  I  adopt?" 

Here,  again,  no  rule  can  be  laid  down.  Where  the 
King  James  or  Authorized  Version  is  used,  there 
should  be  study  of  other  versions,  especially  of  the 
Revised  Version,  to  find  the  argument  or  real  meaning. 
It  may  be  well  to  insert  or  change  some  words  or 
phrases  where  absolute  mistakes  are  made  in  the  old 
version,  so  that  the  passage  may  really  be  understood 
by  an  audience,  though  such  changes  should  be  made 
with  extreme  care. 

There  are  advantages  in  reading  the  Authorized  Ver- 
sion. It  was  one  of  the  chief  agents  in  establishing  the 
English  language.  It  has  a  marvellous  rhythmic  flow. 
There  is  a  certain  dignity,  besides,  in  the  old  words  and 
phrases,  and  when  they  convey  the  true  meaning,  why 
should  they  not  be  preferred  ?  For  example,  in  Psalm  L, 
why  should  the  word  "  ungodly  "  of  the  old  version  be 
changed  to  "wicked"  in  the  new?  It  is  less  poetic, 
and  far  less  intense.  Furthermore,  the  word  "  ungodly  " 
can  hardly  change  its  meaning,  "  wicked  "  has  already 
begun  to  be  a  joke,  just  as  the  word  "naughty,"  which 
in  Shakespeare's  time  was  equivalent  to  "wicked,"  has 
come  to  be  applied  to  children  in  the  sense  of  playful 

331 


332  THE   SERVICE 

or  mischievous.  The  Old  Testament  in  the  Revised 
Version  is,  on  the  average,  a  better  translation  than  that 
of  the  New ;  it  has  more  freedom  and  flow.  The  sen- 
tences in  the  translation  of  the  New  Testament  are  often 
rugged.  This  is  possibly  because  the  New  Testament 
is  more  familiar.  Besides,  the  translators  too  often 
endeavored  to  follow  the  Greek  and  were  too  conserva- 
tive in  many  places,  while  in  others  they  made  changes 
which  added  neither  force  nor  accuracy. 

In  the  poetical  books  especially,  the  Revised  Version 
is  sadly  deficient.  Only  a  poet  can  translate  such 
poetry.  There  is  a  need  of  vigorous,  suggestive  words. 
The  most  daring  figures  are  often  translated  with 
abstract  and  commonplace  terms  ;  besides,  the  argument 
is  often  obscure.  There  is  almost  as  little  clew  to  the 
meaning  of  Isaiah  and  many  of  the  prophets  as  in  the 
old  version.  The  book  of  Job  is  still  very  poorly  trans- 
lated. If  ever  poets  with  the  necessary  scholarship 
undertake  the  translation  of  the  poetical  books  of  the 
Bible,  we  may  have  a  good  version,  but  none  as  yet 
gives  the  true  poetic  spirit.  Nevertheless  many  will 
feel  that  the  Revised  Version  is  on  the  whole  the  best 
available.  With  practice  and  familiarity  in  reading  it 
aloud  the  sense  of  its  imperfection  disappears,  and 
the  reader  will  soon  grow  to  feel  its  superiority  over  the 
Authorized  Version.  The  American  is  better  than  the 
English  Revision.  It  is  more  modern  in  its  language, 
and  will  be  found  more  in  accord  with  the  latest  and 
best  scholarship. 

One  of  the  best  translations  of  the  Psalms  was  that 
in  the  so-called  "  Parchment  Series "  by  Dr.  Cheyne. 
This  was  made  when  he  was  young  and  dared  to  be 


SOME   SPECIAL  QUESTIONS  333 

poetic  and  suggestive,  but  in  his  later  work  he  is  so 
scholarly  and  critical  that  the  poetry  of  his  earlier  ver- 
sion is  often  lost. 

The  version  to  be  used  must  depend  upon  the  occasion, 
the  reader,  or  the  audience.  Some  preachers  take  as 
late  a  translation  as  the  Twentieth-century  New  Testa- 
ment, on  account  of  its  giving  the  argument  so  clearly, 
especially  that  of  the  epistles.  Others  may  even  ar- 
range from  many  translations  one  better  adapted  to 
their  ideas.  It  is  a  great  help  in  getting  the  real  spirit 
of  a  passage  for  a  reader  to  do  some  work  himself  in 
translating. 

Although  the  reverence  of  some  people  may  be  dis- 
turbed by  new  translations,  yet  most  educated  Christians 
have  outgrown  such  fastidiousness  and  prejudice.  All. 
depends  upon  the  spirit  of  the  reader.  Some  find  it  hard 
to  give  true  reverence  to  a  new  version.  Each  person,  in 
fact,  must  select  the  version  and  arrangement  best  suited 
to  his  feeling  and  power  of  interpretation  so  far  as  he  is 
permitted  by  the  authorities  of  his  denomination  and  the 
feelings  of  his  congregation. 

Again,  the  question  will  be  asked,  Should  the  reader 
make  comments  on  his  passage  as  he  goes  along?  No 
rule  can  be  laid  down.  Spurgeon  read  the  lesson  very 
familiarly,  and  did  make  comments.  Other  great  preach- 
ers read  the  passage  so  subjectively  and  so  much  to 
their  own  soul  that  a  word  of  comment  seemed  almost 
like  sacrilege.  Beecher,  on  rare  occasions,  made  a  few 
telling  and  suggestive  remarks.  There  is  a  grave  danger 
in  the  practice  for  most  readers,  —  danger  of  adopting  a 
gossiping  attitude  of  mind,  —  quite  foreign  to  worship. 
Preachers  in  our  day  are  quite  apt  to  adopt  a  mere  teach- 


334  THE   SERVICE 

ing  attitude,  and  fail  in  dignity.  Still  all  depends  upon 
the  audience,  the  occasion,  and  the  man  himself. 

Nearly  every  student  asks  the  question,  Shall  I  make 
gestures  in  reading  the  Bible  ? 

Gesture  is  the  least  dignified  form  of  pantomimic 
expression.  The  question  should  accordingly  be  an- 
swered, No,  no  gesture;  but  if  you  mean  action,  Yes.- 

The  reader  who  is  stirred  by  emotion,  and  expresses 
the  impression  produced  upon  him,  will  expand  and 
feel  a  modulation  of  the  texture  of  every  muscle  in  his 
body.  He  may  not  look  up ;  there  may  be  no  motion  of 
head  or  hand,  —  that  will  be  rarely  if  ever  allowable,  — 
but  the  expression  of  his  face  and  body  will  indicate  his 
feeling. 

Emotion  tends  to  waste  itself  in  motion.  So  a  digni- 
fied speaker  makes  less  gesture  than  an  undignified  one. 
Motion  is  the  weakest  form  of  action.  Mere  transitory 
motions  express  mere  transitory  sensations,  and  denote 
a  lack  of  deep  feeling.  But  emotion  may  be  retained. 
In  this  case,  it  diffuses  itself  through  the  whole  body, 
causes  strong  expansion  everywhere,  and  modulates  the 
texture  of  the  muscles.  This  bears  an  important  relation 
to  the  voice.  When  this  diffusion  of  emotion  through  the 
whole  body  is  free,  there  is  modulation  of  tone  by  feeling. 
Pantomime  will  always  affect  in  some  way  the  vocal  ex- 
pression. Inflections  are  the  gestures  of  vocal  expression, 
as  the  gestures  of  the  body  are  the  inflections  of  pan- 
tomime. The  attitudes  of  the  body  are  directly  co- 
ordinated with  the  modulations  of  tone-color.  Jerky 
motions  of  the  body  make  the  vibrations  of  the  voice  also 
irregular.  Noble,  sustained  attitudes  make  possible 
noble  modulations. 


SOME  SPECIAL  QUESTIONS  335 

When  the  reader  feels  what  he  reads  all  through  his 
being,  his  whole  body  will  sympathetically  expand  with 
it ;  but  he  will  rarely  feel  like  making  gestures,  and  this 
for  perfectly  natural  reasons.  Gestures  indicate  the 
relations  existing  between  one  human  being  and  an- 
other, or  express  transitory  emotions  on  a  passionate 
plane.  But  the  reader  of  the  Scriptures  feels  his  rela- 
tion to  God,  hence  the  ideas  awaken  a  condition  in  him 
rather  than  a  desire  to  define  or  explain.  The  soul  ex- 
pands, the  man  becomes  erect  and  dignified,  but  the 
reading  is  too  subjective  for  an  objective  mood  of 
expression  like  gesture.  Man  makes  few  gestures  in 
soliloquy  or  when  alone.  He  makes  few  gestures  when 
experiencing  deep  feeling ;  he  is  more  apt  to  make  ges- 
tures in  objective  moods  or  in  antagonism  in  explaining 
something  to  his  fellow-man. 

There  is  a  tendency  with  many  preachers  to  make 
undue  gesture  with  the  head,  which  is  fully  as  bad  as 
gestures  with  the  arm  or  worse.  The  continual  bobbing 
of  the  head  indicates  a  chaotic  state  of  being,  a  one- 
sided intellectual  or  nervous  action,  and  is  very  inappro- 
priate to  the  reading  of  the  Scriptures.  The  reader  of 
the  Scriptures  must  always  stand  still.  This  is  the  most 
expressive  action  of  a  human  being.  To  stand  in  an 
expanded  condition  of  animation  and  earnestness  is  the 
most  dignified  thing  a  human  being  can  do. 

Scripture  reading  is  subjective  and  brings  the  soul 
into  relationship  with  God,  and  hence  rarely  admits  of 
gesticulation.  The  effect  of  gesticulation  would  rather 
indicate  that  the  reader  was  not  in  the  true  spirit  of 
worship. 

There  are,  however,  exceptions.     It  will  be  noted  that 


336  THE   SERVICE 

the  speaker  gesticulates  in  quoting  a  passage  of  Scrip- 
ture as  freely  as  in  any  other  part  of  his  sermon.  The 
reason  is  that  he  is  now  in  an  intellectual  attitude  of 
mind.  As  a  rule,  he  is  quoting  the  passage  to  establish 
some  point;  he  is  proving  something,  or  describing 
something,  and,  at  any  rate,  his  attitude  has  direct 
relationship  to  his  audience. 

Still  another  question  will  come  up  at  the  threshold 
of  the  service,  How  can  I  use  my  voice  ?  Will  you  lay 
down  definite  rules  when  to  breathe  ? 

The  subject  of  voice  is  a  difficult  one  and  is  better 
discussed  in  another  work,  since  it  requires  far  more 
technical  discussion  than  the  plan  of  this  book  admits. 
The  right  use  of  the  mind,  however,  and  right  expres- 
sion tend  to  affect  even  the  production  of  tone.  Note  a 
few  examples  :  A  serious  fault  in  the  use  of  the  voice  is 
breathing  too  seldom.  This  is  best  corrected  by  the 
individualization  of  attention,  or  the  specific  conception 
of  successive  ideas.  Again,  the  accentuation  of  dis- 
crimination and  variation  of  the  mental  attitudes  will 
tend  to  correct  that  inflexibility  of  voice  which  is  a  very 
common  fault.  As  actions  of  voice  are  determined  by 
actions  of  mind,  and  the  greatest  faults  of  the  voice  can 
be  traced  to  the  wrong  actions  of  the  mind,  right  mental 
action  will  tend  to  correct  faults  of  voice. 

It  is  best,  however,  in  the  study  of  expression  not  to 
mix  up  the  great  problem  of  the  right  use  of  the  voice 
with  the  study  of  vocal  expression  or  to  give  too  much 
attention  to  the  right  use  of  the  modulations  of  the  voice 
while  studying  vocal  training. 


XXXIV.     HARMONY   OF  THE   SERVICE 

THE  fundamental  law  of  all  art  is  unity.  The  aim  of 
all  art  is  to  produce  an  impression  of  truth  upon  the 
imagination  and  feelings.  This  is  also  the  aim  of  the 
service  for  worship  in  the  Christian  church.  When 
ancient  liturgies  are  carefully  studied,  we  find  they 
exhibit  a  peculiar  dramatic  movement. 

There  is,  however,  a  tendency  to  make  a  church  ser- 
vice monotonous.  This  is  more  marked  when  the  service 
is  conducted  perfunctorily,  when  the  leader  does  little 
more  than  "  officiate."  Monotony  results  also  from 
mere  drifting,  from  feeling  without  thinking,  or  feeling 
the  general  situation  without  realizing  each  specific  step, 
and  still  oftener  from  a  lack  of  definite  purpose,  or  desire 
really  to  cause  a  definite  impression. 

Why  do  preachers  fail  to  recognize  the  richness  of 
material  which  lies  ready  for  use  as  a  means  of  impress- 
ing their  fellow-men  ?  Why  is  there  so  little  study  of 
the  laws  of  art  ?  Why  do  some  preachers  make  every- 
thing of  the  sermon  and  others  of  the  service  ?  Are 
these  antagonistic  ?  Why  do  some  arrange  a  monoto- 
nous, stilted,  or  spectacular  service  ?  All  art  begins  in 
rhythm  and  unity,  and  he  who  will  make  the  most  of  his 
opportunities  will  study  each  part  of  the  service  for  its 
own  sake.  Why  not  vary  the  service  ?  Why  not  intro- 
duce a  moment  of  silence?  Why  not  use  all  noble 
expressions  of  human  feelings  in  awakening  the  hearts 
z  337 


338  THE  SERVICE 

of  men  ?  The  service  is  not  an  end  but  a  means.  It 
must  be  adapted  to  the  preacher  himself,  to  his  congre- 
gation, to  his  building,  to  his  choir,  to  his  possibilities ; 
but  why  should  attention  to  the  effective  reading  of  the 
Scriptures,  or  to  the  intense  and  true  expression  of  any 
part  of  the  service,  be  thought  to  detract  attention  from 
the  sermon  ?  Every  part  demands  attention,  must  have 
its  own  distinct  character,  and  must  be  emphasized  at 
times  in  order  that  a  higher,  broader  harmony  may  be 
secured. 

If  all  parts  of  the  Christian  service  be  carefully  ob- 
served, it  will  be  noted  that  while  each  has  many  varia- 
tions, yet  it  requires  an  attitude  of  mind  distinct  from  all 
the  others.  How  simple  and  even  utilitarian  is  the 
announcement  of  the  hymn ;  it  is  a  mere  statement,  yet 
deserves  careful  study,  for  it  gives  the  leader  a  means 
of  testing  the  size  of  the  room.  By  speaking  to  those 
farthest  away,  he  may  test  the  command  of  his  voice, 
also  know  that  he  is  heard  and  feel  even  the  character 
of  his  audience. 

But  how  different  is  prayer !  Here  the  leader  enters 
into  mystic  contemplation  and  communion  with  God, 
and  not  for  himself  alone,  but  to  lead  and  to  impress 
the  devotions  of  others.  A  man  who  can  repeat  the 
sublime  words  of  public  prayer  in  a  cold,  intellectual 
tone,  the  same  as  that  used  in  announcing  a  hymn,  has 
little  imagination  or  sympathy,  and  scant  perception  of 
the  spirit  that  leads  Christian  men  and  women  "to 
assemble  and  meet  together  "  for  praise  and  thanksgiv- 
ing, for  prayer  and  confession,  for  the  inspiration  of 
preaching,  and  the  instruction  of  the  Word  of  God. 

In  the  sermon,  as  has  been  shown,  there  is  more 


HARMONY  OF  THE  SERVICE  339 

intellectual  and  direct  communion  of  man  with  his  fel- 
low-men. The  speaker  must  assume  an  oratoric  atti- 
tude distinct  from  that  of  prayer  or  Christian  song. 

In  reading  the  Scripture  lesson,  the  mental  attitude  is 
still  different,  the  feeling  is  not  the  same,  the  vocal 
expression  is  simpler.  The  leader  is  interpreting  the 
sublimest  records  of  the  experience  of  his  race.  He  is 
using  the  voice  of  authority,  and  is  leading  men  to 
realize  the  divine  will. 

The  service  as  a  whole  must  have  unity.  All  parts 
of  it  should  harmonize.  But  unity  is  not  monotony. 
Not  only  should  there  be  a  distinct  attitude  of  the  mind 
in  each  part  of  the  service  with  distinct  lines  of  emotion, 
but  these  should  be  so  accentuated  in  direct  contrast  as 
to  introduce  a  higher  harmony,  for  harmony  is  "the 
reconciliation  of  opposites."  Harmony  both  of  grada- 
tion and  of  contrast  are  found  in  the  conduct  or  move- 
ment of  the  service.  There  are  no  violent  mechanical 
discords,  but  now  slow,  strong  progression,  and  now 
decided  transitions  and  changes  in  points  of  view. 

The  leader  must  be  careful  of  the  very  first  words  he 
utters.  No  matter  what  these  words  may  be,  —  the  an- 
nouncing of  a  hymn,  the  call  to  prayer,  or  an  introductory 
sentence,  —  he  must  secure  the  attention  of  his  hearers. 
There  must  be  a  direct  appeal  of  soul  to  soul.  The 
study  of  the  room,  the  testing  of  the  voice,  must  be  in 
the  background  of  consciousness.  The  attention  of  all 
must  be  directed,  not  toward  the  leader  himself,  but 
inward,  not  to  themselves,  but  to  the  Infinite,  All-know- 
ing, All-working,  Ever-present  Spirit. 

All  such  directions  must  be  expressed  with  dignity 
of  touch  and  inflection,  —  no  cold,  hard,  didactic  tones. 


340  THE   SERVICE 

In  simple  directions  or  explanatory  phrases,  as  few 
words  as  possible  should  be  used.  Often  a  mere 
gesture  is  all  that  is  needed.  When  the  words  are  pre- 
scribed, they  should  be  given  with  simplicity,  dignified 
rhythm,  and  definite  touch. 

Great  carelessness  is  often  observed  in  the  announce- 
ment of  a  Scripture  lesson.  There  is  no  apparent 
recognition  whatever  of  the  real  title  of  a  book.  It 
would  certainly  be  regarded  as  undignified  if  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  on  being  introduced,  were 
called  by  the  nickname  of  his  boyhood,  or  merely  by 
one  part  of  his  name.  The  cold  and  careless  way  in 
which  book  and  chapter  are  announced  often  uncon- 
sciously affects  the  reader.  He  is  unable  to  attain  the 
proper  attitude  toward  the  passage  he  is  trying  to  read. 
-—Possibly  the  best  way  to  perceive  the  harmony  of  the 
service  is  to  study  liturgies  or  forms  of  worship.  These 
show  the  nature  of  devotion  and  the  relations  to  each 
other  of  the  various  functions  the  minister  is  called  upon 
to  discharge.  They  embody  also  the  traditional  ideas 
and  ideals  of  men  regarding  worship.  The  most  con- 
venient and  accessible  to  all  is  the  order  of  exercises  in 
the  English  Prayer-book. 

The  Book  of  Common  Prayer  was  the  product  of  the 
undivided  Protestant  movement  in  England.  The  most 
beautiful  passages  were  written  in  1 549  or  1 562.  It  is 
the  outgrowth  of  the  whole  history  of  Christianity. 
Cranmer  had,  possibly,  more  to  do  with  the  book  than 
any  other  one  man.  Many  of  the  parts,  especially  the 
post- Reformation  Collects,  are  permeated  by  the  Puritan 
spirit.  Thus,  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer  should  have 
reverent  attention  from  every  one.  It  belongs  to  no  de- 


HARMONY  OF   THE   SERVICE  341 

nomination.  A  modified  form  of  it  was  used  at  one  time 
by  the  Presbyterians.  John  Wesley  made  an  arrange- 
ment of  it  for  the  Methodists  which,  with  the  exception 
of  one  branch,  they  do  not  consider  worth  printing. 
Because  it  is  used  by  the  Established  Church  of  Eng- 
land and  the  Episcopal  Church  of  America,  should  not 
prevent  Christians  of  whatever  name  from  feeling  that 
it  belongs  to  the  whole  church. 

The  Church  of  England  edition  of  the  Book  of  Com- 
mon Prayer  says  in  the  preface,  "  That  particular  forms 
of  divine  worship  and  the  rites  and  ceremonies  appointed 
therein  are  in  their  very  nature  alterable,  and  are  so 
acknowledged ;  and  it  is  reasonable  that  those  in  places 
of  authority  should  make  such  changes  therein  as  shall 
be  deemed  expedient."  Without  considering  the  history 
of  the  alterations  in  the  past,  or  accepting  the  results  at 
present  found  in  the  book  as  the  best  possible,  the  ordi- 
nary morning  service  may  be  taken  as  an  illustration  of 
some  of  the  elemental  offices  and  functions  which  should 
ordinarily  be  included  in  a  service  for  worship,  and  the 
different  modes  of  vocal  expression  which  should  belong 
to  each. 

In  this  order  of  worship,  the  leader  first  repeats  sen- 
tences selected  from  the  Scriptures.  The  idea  beneath 
these  sentences  is,  of  course,  the  call  to  worship,  an  in- 
vitation for  men  to  enter  into  the  spirit  of  the  service, 
an  exhortation,  or  the  presentation  of  an  encouraging 
thought  in  the  expression  of  a  true  conception  of  God 
or  the  sense  of  His  presence. 

These  sentences  should  be  spoken  with  a  slow,  intense 
rhythm.  The  first  clause  in  the  first  sentence  used 
demands  definite  attention  on  the  part  of  the  leader, 


342  THE   SERVICE 

even  though  he  may  not  turn  to  the  people.  The  idea 
must  be  so  expressed  as  to  awaken  a  response  in  the 
minds  of  all  present. 

The  sentences  appointed  are  not  all  equally  well 
adapted  for  this  call  to  prayer.  Different  occasions 
demand  different  sentences,  a  circumstance  which  has 
been  recently  recognized,  and  has  led  to  formal  divisions 
of  these  sentences ;  but  the  leader  should  be  free  to 
choose  his  sentences,  and  to  read  them  in  such  a  man- 
ner as  to  awaken  a  common  perception  of  the  thought 
and  its  appropriateness  to  the  specific  occasion.  Usu- 
ally a  passage  that  is  lyric  is  best. 

The  reading  of  the  sentences  should  secure  the  atten- 
tion of  the  entire  audience.  The  reader  must  give  ex- 
pression to  their  thought  and  feeling.  His  primary  aim 
is  to  bring  all  minds  into  the  spirit  of  worship.  Intro- 
ductory sentences  must  not  be  given  as  mere  instruction, 
or  as  appealing  merely  to  the  intellect.  They  are 
spoken  in  a  very  impersonal  way  in  order  to  lead  all  to 
recognize  the  presence  of  God. 

In  denominations  where  introductory  sentences  are 
never  used  in  public  worship,  there  is  generally  a  silent 
meditation  before  the  service,  which  takes  the  place  of 
these  spoken  utterances.  The  preacher  himself  some- 
times leads  others  to  enter  into  silence  with  him,  and 
thus  realizes  that  which  the  Prayer-book  objectively 
embodies.  Possibly  every  Christian  congregation  has 
been  trained  to  engage  in  this  silent  prayer,  before  any 
introductory  call,  or  invitation,  or  anything  belonging  to 
the  exercise  of  common  worship  has  been  objectively 
initiated.  Devotion  must,  first  of  all,  be  silent.  Just 
before  the  service  a  suggestive  pause  is  necessary, 


HARMONY  OF  THE  SERVICE  343 

whatever  the  form,  order  of  exercises,  or  whatever 
words  may  be  said.  Even  introductory  sentences 
lose  their  meaning  without  this  silent  preparation. 

The  Address  to  the  people,  which  next  follows,  marks 
a  great  contrast  to  the  introductory  sentences.  Many 
leaders  of  worship,  in  the  introductory  sentences,  turn 
toward  the  altar,  while  in  addressing  the  people,  there 
is  a  mental  and  bodily  turning  toward  the  audience. 
This  address  to  the  congregation  is  the  most  intellectual 
and  didactic  part  of  the  service.  It  is  almost  colloquial, 
and  should  be  given  more  rapidly  and  pointedly,  with 
less  of  the  lyric  element  than  is  found  in  any  other  part 
of  the  exercises.  It  should,  however,  be  delivered  with 
specific  and  definite  purpose,  not  as  a  cold,  didactic,  or 
artificial  form.  There  should  be  an  accentuation  of  the 
rhythm  of  thinking,  together  with  a  wide  accentuation 
of  the  range  of  voice,  to  dominate  the  attention  of  every 
one  present. 

The  General  Confession,  which  immediately  follows 
this  address,  is  strongly  lyrical,  full  of  intense  feeling 
and  reverence,  and  must  be  rendered  more  slowly  than 
the  general  address.  It  is  a  general  and  a  personal  con- 
fession. It  is  placed  at  the  very  beginning  of  the  ser- 
vice as  the  first  common  expression  of  thought  and 
feeling.  It  demands  great  strength  of  touch  and  a  vig-. 
orous  accentuation  of  rhythm.  The  leader  must  avoid 
rigidity  and  be  fully  capable  of  direct  aspiration  and 
expression  of  the  soul. 

In  many  denominations,  where  strong  antagonism  to 
the  formality  of  such  a  service  has  existed,  there  has 
grown  up  a  custom  of  repeating  together  the  Lord's 
Prayer  at  the  beginning  or  near  the  beginning  of  the 


344  THE  SERVICE 

service.  The  repetition  of  this  prayer  must  be  gov- 
erned by  the  same  principles  as  the  General  Confession. 
Common  prayer,  or  the  use  of  the  same  words  by  a 
large  number,  demands  leadership.  Even  the  repeti- 
tion of  the  Lord's  Prayer  requires  the  accentuation  of 
rhythm.  There  must,  in  short,  be  genuineness  of  ex- 
pression with  a  fuller  and  more  sympathetic  movement 
of  ideas,  greater  regularity  of  pauses,  and  a  perception 
of  the  unity  of  all  hearts  in  the  act  of  worship. 

The  absolution  by  the  leader  alone,  which  follows  the 
confession,  while  the  people  are  still  kneeling,  exhibits 
another  marked  contrast.  The  whole  attitude  of  the 
leader  of  worship  is  tested  by  this  prayer.  To  my  mind 
it  is  usually  the  most  poorly  rendered  of  all  parts  of 
this  fine  but  often  mangled  service.  It  must  not  be 
given  on  the  commonplace  plane,  nor  on  the  plane  of 
the  discursive  intellect ;  it  is  a  spiritual  message.  It  is 
felt  by  many  non-liturgical  churches  to  be  irreverent, 
because  the  leader  seems  to  assume  the  functions  of  the 
Almighty.  But  this  objective  representation  or  expres- 
sion of  the  remission  of  sins  or  of  the  promises  which 
are  the  foundation  of  the  whole  Bible,  when  given  in  its 
true  spirit,  need  cause  offence  to  no  one.  It  is,  however, 
usually  given  with  intellectual  coldness,  as  a  kind  of 
official  utterance  applying  only  to  the  people,  unless 
the  leader  realizes  that  the  thoughts  and  expression 
apply  as  well  to  himself  as  to  others.  When  rendered 
in  the  same  spirit  as  the  Address  to  the  people  which 
precedes  the  General  Confession,  a  total  misconception 
of  the  nature  of  worship  and  of  the  spirit  of  common 
prayer  ensues.  It  should  be  given  more  slowly,  with  a 
subjective  and  personal  realization  of  the  thought. 


HARMONY  OF  THE   SERVICE  345 

Then  follows  the  Lord's  Prayer,  usually  repeated  in 
too  formal  and  mechanical  a  way,  and  rarely  made  a 
climax  of  the  General  Confession  and  Declaration,  as  it 
should  be.  The  Lord's  Prayer  at  this  point  should  be 
the  deeper  realization  of  the  soul's  attitude  toward  God. 
It  is  not  full  of  penitence,  like  the  General  Confession, 
nor  of  the  spiritual  contemplation  and  acceptance  of 
the  Declaration,  but  of  still  deeper,  more  joyous  realiza- 
tion, a  more  intense  and  varied  activity  of  both  thought 
and  feeling.  Because  this  Prayer  is  so  familiar,  there 
is  a  tendency  to  give  it  even  more  formally  and  mechani- 
cally than  any  other  part  of  the  service,  and  with  greater 
speed.  The  leader,  however,  can  change  all  this  by 
example.  Possibly  the  Lord's  Prayer  is  repeated  me- 
chanically in  the  ordinary  service  on  account  of  the  for- 
mality and  objectivity  of  the  leader's  method  of  giving 
the  Declaration.  How  often  does  the  leader's  cold 
officialism  cause  a  shiver !  If  the  Declaration  be  given 
with  intense  subjectivity  and  spiritual  realization  of 
God's  presence  and  love,  the  people  will  repeat  the 
Lord's  Prayer  with  greater  reverence,  deeper  devotion, 
and  more  intense  feeling.  They  will  give  it  more 
slowly  if  the  leader  sets  the  example.  The  preacher 
can  know  the  genuineness  and  spirituality  of  his  Decla- 
ration by  the  effect  it  produces  upon  the  congregation 
in  their  repetition  of  the  Lord's  Prayer. 

The  Psalter,  or  responsive  reading,  is  totally  distinct 
in  character  from  the  preceding  exercises.  The  general 
nature  of  responsive  reading  and  its  importance  have 
already  been  discussed.  But  a  few  words  may  be  added 
as  to  its  relation  to  the  other  parts  of  the  service. 

The  reading  of  the  Psalter  is  not  a  mere  intellectual 


346  THE  SERVICE 

interpretation.  It  is  intensely  lyrical  and  full  of  exalted 
feeling.  In  fact,  only  lyrical  passages  are  properly 
adapted  to  responsive  reading.  In  the  reading  of  these, 
the  leader  must  accentuate  thinking  and  feeling,  and  all 
the  elementary  modulations  of  the  voice,  in  such  a  way 
as  to  provoke  united  response  from  the  congregation. 
The  alternation  between  the  speaker  and  the  audience 
is  itself  a  form  of  rhythm  corresponding  to  the  parallel- 
ism of  Hebrew  poetry,  which  may  have  had  its  direct 
expression  in  the  ancient  alternation  of  the  Temple 
worship. 

The  peculiar  function  of  the  Psalter  seems  to  be  to 
secure  a  greater  union  of  the  congregation,  and  an  alter- 
nation or  harmony  with  the  leader  in  the  act  of  worship. 
The  General  Confession  and  Declaration  and  Lord's 
Prayer  are  more  personal  and  introspective,  and,  hence, 
are  given  kneeling,  while  in  the  Psalter  all  stand. 

In  rendering  the  Psalter  there  is  great  danger  of 
dragging.  In  large  congregations,  some  persons  will  be 
found  far  behind  the  leader,  and  confusion  and  chaos  are 
apt  to  reign.  This  is  a  difficulty  which  the  leader  must 
overcome,  because  if  he  waits  till  all  have  finished,  it 
destroys  the  rhythmic  continuity  of  the  service.  And  if 
he  begins  too  early  and  runs  too  rapidly,  he  makes  the 
exercise  anything  but  rhythmic  or  devotional.  Usually 
the  leader  keeps  the  audience  along  with  him,  by  begin- 
ning the  next  verse  immediately  after  and  even  before 
the  audience  has  finished.  It  is  a  very  dangerous  prac- 
tice, as  it  induces  chaos  and  mere  hurry  on  the  part  of 
the  congregation.  Hurry  must  in  any  case  be  avoided. 
The  leader's  intense  rhythmic  movement  should  be  so 
accentuated  in  the  lines  rendered  by  him  as  to  give 


HARMONY   OF  THE   SERVICE  347 

a  key  and  unite  the  congregation,  for  as  he  thinks  and 
reads,  so  will  they.  One  who  accentuates  hurry  instead 
of  the  strong,  long,  rhythmic  pulsations,  knows  little  of 
the  deep  significance  of  rhythm  or  its  power  to  bring 
men  into  unity  of  thought  and  action.  The  leader  must 
lead  and  secure  the  response  of  all.  As  the  drum-beat 
brings  an  army  into  unity  of  step,  so  must  the  reader's 
touch  unite  all  minds  and  voices. 

The  reading  of  the  Psalter  should  be  of  great  assist- 
ance to  the  leader  in  securing  self-control  and  bringing 
himself  and  others  into  the  higher  spirit  of  the  service. 
It  establishes  more  completely  what  psychologists  call 
"  the  aggregate  mind." 

The  reading  of  the  Scripture  lesson  marks  another 
transition  and  progression.  The  reading  of  the  Psalter 
corresponds  somewhat  to  the  General  Confession, 
though  there  are  important  differences.  In  the  Gen- 
eral Confession,  the  leader  and  the  people  speak  together 
and  are  one ;  in  the  Psalter,  there  is  alternation,  and 
often  exhortation  and  answer.  As  in  passing  from  the 
personal  and  human  attitude  of  the  Confession  to  the 
Divine  point  of  view  in  the  Declaration,  so  in  passing 
from  the  Psalter  to  the  Scripture  lesson  there  is  corre- 
sponding change.  In  the  Scripture  lesson,  the  leader 
more  directly  conveys  an  interpretation  of  the  divine 
will,  than  in  the  Declaration.  The  people  are  not 
kneeling,  however,  but  sitting.  They  are  in  a  calm, 
listening  attitude.  The  leader  appeals  not  solely  to  the 
spiritual  nature,  but  to  the  whole  being ;  he  interprets 
the  words  of  the  Bible  to  mind  and  heart.  Out  of 
the  deep  peace  resulting  from  a  true  participation  in  the 
other  exercises,  he  enters  into  a  reverent  realization  of 


348  THE   SERVICE 

the  divine  will,  and  leads  the  people  into  the  spiritual 
contemplation  of  a  great  message.  It  is  less  lyric  and 
is  possibly  less  personal  in  feeling;  but  thinking  and 
emotion  are  far  more  varied,  and  the  realization  and  ap- 
plication of  the  truth  to  the  individual  mind  should  be 
more  pointed  and  emphatic. 

Why  should  the  reading  of  the  Scriptures  be  the 
tamest  part  of  the  service,  as  it  usually  is  ?  Why  should 
the  congregation  sit  back  seemingly  to  take  a  rest  ? 
Why  should  it  be  necessary  to  introduce  the  finest 
music  between  the  two  lessons  to  relieve  the  monotony  ? 
Why  should  not  the  Scripture  lesson  be  the  climax  of 
all  that  precedes,  rather  than  an  interlude,  a  progression 
and  not  a  relaxation  ?  It  is  widely  different  in  character 
from  all  that  has  preceded,  but  this  does  not  imply  that 
it  is  less  important.  It  means  that  another  part  of  man's 
nature  is  made  to  participate  in  worship ;  that  all  parts 
of  his  being  are  brought  into  harmonious  activity  in 
order  to  perceive  the  great  plan  of  human  redemption. 
The  leader  can  now  appeal  to  reason  as  the  basis  of  his 
authority. 

In  the  transition  from  the  Old  Testament  to  the  New 
Testament  lesson,  there  is  always  more  or  less  of  a 
change.  In  the  former,  there  is  an  aloofness,  a  feeling 
of  distance,  the  dignified  spirit  of  the  Law,  while  in  the 
latter,  we  are  brought  into  Christian  realization,  or  nearer 
our  own  experience.  All  the  reading  centres  in  Jesus. 
In  the  one,  we  come  into  realization  of  Jehovah,  God  ; 
in  the  other,  into  a  realization  of  Christ.  We  come  to 
know,  not  the  Father  only,  but  also  the  Son,  in  all  the 
broad  significance  of  that  expression. 

The  repetition  of  the  Creed,  which  follows  the  Scrip- 


HARMONY   OF  THE   SERVICE  349 

ture  lessons,  is  an  exalted  expression  of  the  human 
realization  of  the  meaning  of  the  Scriptures  and  of 
human  life.  It  returns  with  strange  correspondence  to 
the  repetition  of  the  Lord's  Prayer,  in  the  earlier  part 
of  the  service.  These  parallelisms,  or  rhythmic  repeti- 
tions, are  among  the  highest  characteristics  of  great  art. 
The  repeating  of  the  Creed  should  be  suggestive  and 
reverent,  not  formal  or  mechanical.  It  should  be,  of 
all  parts  of  the  service,  the  least  artificial.  It  is  a  state- 
ment of  human  beliefs  and  convictions,  a  summary  of 
results.  In  the  Lord's  Prayer  we  use  words  appropriate 
in  addressing  One  who  knows  the  needs  of  men.  In 
the  Creed,  man  desires  to  put  into  words  and  to  affirm 
simply  his  convictions  of  truth.  Notice  that  all  repeat 
the  Creed  together.  The  repetition  should  be  very 
suggestive  and  personal. 

Then,  after  the  alternate  sentences,  short  and  simple, 
between  leader  and  people,  there  follow  prayers,  indicat- 
ing a  fuller  perception  of  life  and  the  relations  of  the  wor- 
shippers to  God  and  their  fellow-men.  These  prayers  are 
less  personal,  or  at  least  less  penitential,  than  the  General 
Confession  or  the  Lord's  Prayer,  and  are  the  expressions 
of  the  soul's  aspirations  and  more  specific  desires. 

The  vocal  expression  of  prayer  is  a  subject  requiring 
great  delicacy  of  treatment.  One  hesitates  to  speak  of 
it  in  cold  blood,  or  as  a  subject  for  analysis ;  but  it  is  a 
distinct  form  of  vocal  expression.  It  centres  in  the 
aspirations  of  a  living  soul  for  a  sense  of  the  indwelling 
presence.  It  is  the  most  intuitive,  subjective,  and  spirit- 
ual of  all  human  modes  of  expression,  and  when  spoken 
on  the  commonplace  or  even  intellectual  plane  ceases  to 
be  prayer.  It  moves  in  the  realm  of  the  lyric  realiza- 


350  THE   SERVICE 

tion  of  the  soul.  Thinking,  imagination,  and  feeling  are 
all  awake ;  the  soul  is  realizing  its  Source. 

Prayer  consists  not  in  words,  but  in  an  attitude  of  the 
soul.  Vocal  expression  is  the  only  mode  of  expression 
which  can  reveal  this  deep,  spiritual  attitude.  If  any  one 
fails  to  see  the  dignity  of  vocal  expression,  let  him  study 
the  true  nature  of  prayer.  Words  alone  can  never 
constitute  prayer. 

When  the  Litany  is  read,  it  is,  of  course,  a  portion  of 
the  prayer,  and  is  a  return  to  the  more  lyric  response  of 
leader  and  people.  It  is  intensely  devotional,  and  this 
alternation  is  upon  a  higher  plane  than  the  Psalter.  It 
is  more  intensely  emotional,  more  exalted  and  spiritual. 

These  are  the  main  elements  and  transitions  which 
enter  into  the  ordinary  parts  of  the  service,  but  there 
are  others  of  importance.  For  example,  there  is  the 
great  difference  between  the  Gospel  and  the  Epistle  for 
the  day.  In  reading  the  Epistle,  the  people  are  seated ; 
it  is  a  familiar,  colloquial  discussion  of  the  spiritual  life, 
an  important  part  of  the  rhythmic  alternation  of  the  ser- 
vice. When  the  Gospel  is  read,  the  people  all  rise,  thus 
making  a  transition  to  a  more  reverent  attitude  of  mind. 
It  is  in  a  certain  sense  a  repetition  of  the  Scripture  les- 
son but  on  a  more  exalted  plane. 

In  rendering  the  Commandments,  there  is  a  call  for 
great  dignity.  These  Commandments  should  be  ren- 
dered subjectively  rather  than  objectively.  The  reader 
should  show  perception  of  their  spiritual  meaning.  He 
must  repeat  them,  not  as  a  king,  but  as  a  subject.  There 
is  a  great  accentuation  of  all  the  elements  of  dignity. 
The  changes  of  pitch  and  inflections,  though  greatly 
extended,  are  regular  and  dignified.  The  touch  is  also 


HARMONY   OF  THE   SERVICE  351 

specially  definite,  the  rhythmic  movement  accentuated, 
and  there  is  sustained  dignity  in  the  resonance  of  the 
voice. 

A  remarkable  transition  occurs  also  at  the  words, 
"  Hear  also  what  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  saith."  This 
clause  should  be  given  with  the  feeling  that  the  race  has 
arrived  at  a  new  dispensation.  It  is  more  suggestive ; 
we  have  passed  from  the  outer  law  into  the  inner  power, 
from  the  external  to  the  inner  Kingdom.  We  are  com- 
ing face  to  face  with  the  indwelling  spirit  which  lives  at 
the  heart  of  the  words  of  the  Master.  Too  frequently 
this  is  given  with  the  same  tone  and  weight  as  the  ten 
external  and  negative  Commandments.  Nothing  in  the 
whole  service  is  more  important  or  more  liable  to  be 
overlooked  than  the  transition  from  the  outer  to  the  inner 
law,  from  the  letter  to  the  spirit,  from  the  outer  observ- 
ance and  negative  rules  to  the  inner,  positive  life.  There 
should  be  a  great  change  of  key,  color,  and  movement. 

The  great  dangers  in  rendering  the  service  are  for- 
mality, a  cold  and  artificial  presentation  of  the  words,  a 
monotonous  attitude  of  the  mind,  and  a  failure  to  realize 
the  deep  significance  of  each  step  that  is  taken.  A 
reader  must  realize  the  true  office  of  leadership,  the 
necessity  of  changing  the  point  of  view,  and  of  entering 
into  a  higher  and  more  spiritual  realization  of  the  soul's 
relation  to  God. 

In  the  rendering  of  the  service,  two  great  faults  are 
especially  to  be  avoided.  On  the  one  hand,  the  service 
may  be  rendered  in  a  mood,  without  genuine  emotion 
or  transitions  and  more  or  less  in  an  affected  kind  of 
monotone.  The  opposite  fault  makes  the  reading  cold, 
formal,  and  negative. 


352  THE   SERVICE 

Two  theological  seminaries  in  the  United  States  re- 
spectively represent  these  two  faults.  You  can  tell 
from  which  seminary  a  preacher  comes  by  his  manner 
of  conducting  the  service.  These  faults  often  last 
through  the  entire  life  of  preachers,  but  are  more 
noticeable  when  they  first  come  from  the  institution. 
The  faults  are  equally  bad.  One  represents  a  mood 
without  thought,  the  other  superficial  thought  without 
feeling. 

Each  idea  of  the  service  must  be  genuinely  conceived 
and  felt.  There  must  be  no  affectation,  no  formalism. 
Everything  must  be  genuine  and  true.  He  who  cannot 
make  the  words  of  the  service  the  expression  of  his 
inner  life,  ought  not  to  read  it.  He  who  cannot  make 
the  words  of  the  service  a  means  of  leading  other  men 
into  a  deeper  and  truer  appreciation  of  the  relation  of 
the  soul  to  God,  should  not  undertake  to  render  it. 

No  matter  what  may  be  one's  personal  prejudices 
against  the  Prayer-book,  a  study  of  its  profound  signifi- 
cance will  be  helpful  to  any  one  in  producing  variety 
and  harmony  in  the  service  and  securing  command  of 
rhythm. 

This  analysis  of  the  Prayer-book  applies  equally  to  the 
Masses  of  the  Catholic  Church.  It  has  been  well  said 
that  there  is  dramatic  movement  in  the  High  Mass.  This 
dramatic  movement  should  be  accentuated  by  giving  to 
each  part  of  the  service  its  specific  spirit.  When  this  move- 
ment is  displaced  by  monotony,  it  becomes  an  external 
pomp  without  devotional  feeling.  The  rhythmic  alter- 
nations between  the  more  demonstrative  expressions  of 
praise,  and  the  more  personal  and  subjective  parts  of 
the  service,  must  be  carefully  observed. 


HARMONY   OF   THE   SERVICE  353 

The  same  principles  apply  to  the  services  of  the  Jewish 
synagogue,  and,  in  fact,  to  every  form  of  worship,  how- 
ever simple  or  complex,  however  subjective  or  objective, 
however  bare  and  monotonous  or  spectacular,  —  from 
the  institution  of  worship  in  the  ancient  temple  to  the 
Salvation  Army,  from  the  most  formal  of  the  High  or 
the  Catholic  Church  to  the  most  quiet  Quaker  meeting. 
Religious  worship  is  founded  in  sympathy.  The  help- 
ful influence  of  public  worship,  on  account  of  which 
men  were  commanded  not  to  forsake  the  assembling  of 
themselves  together,  is  often  overlooked.  Men  are  led 
by  it  out  of  themselves  and  into  kindlier  relations  with 
their  fellow-men,  into  deeper  realizations  of  the  Divine 
Presence  in  the  Shechinah  of  the  soul.  If  a  service  be 
barren  of  such  results,  it  is  because  of  the  spirit  in 
which  it  is  conducted. 

To  my  mind,  silent  prayer  should  be  introduced  as  a 
part  of  every  service  of  public  worship.  When  its  true 
significance  is  realized,  it  is  a  most  impressive  part  of 
Christian  worship. 

When  a  man  like  James  Freeman  Clarke  said,  "  Let 
us  all  join  in  silent  prayer,"  how  impressive  was  the 
stillness,  how  profound  the  impression  made ! 

Those  who  have  the  habit  of  condemning  the  Prayer- 
book  service  as  cold  and  formal,  should  note  that  for- 
malism is  found  in  every  denomination  and  that  every 
preacher  has  to  fight  against  it.  No  matter  what  may 
be  the  form  of  worship  there  must  be  a  struggle  to 
lead  the  minds  and  hearts  of  men  into  an  attitude  of 
devotion.  It  is  a  matter  not  of  words  but  of  vocal  ex-- 
pression.  It  is  a  matter  not  of  mere  intellectual  domi- 
nation but  of  spiritual  leadership.  Endeavoring  to 

2  A 


354  THE   SERVICE 

express  the  real  feeling  of  the  heart  through  the  voice 
will  enable  a  man  to  realize  the  possibility  of  bringing 
all  parts  of  the  service  into  unity  and  giving  intense 
progressive  transitions  from  the  lowest  plane  of  the 
commonplace  to  the  highest  spiritual  realization. 

All  books  and  modes  of  worship  should  be  studied  by 
every  one,  no  matter  what  his  denominational  relations. 
Each  may  prefer  one  mode  of  worship,  but  he  must 
endeavor  to  appropriate  without  prejudice  and  to  gain 
lessons  from  all  to  aid  him  in  securing  the  power  to 
lead  men  in  their  religious  devotions. 

Harmony  or  unity  in  any  service  is  secured  by  genu- 
ineness, directness,  simplicity,  sympathy.  There  must 
be  no  mere  rehearsing  of  words,  no  reiteration  of 
phrases,  no  repetition  of  commonplace  statements.  The 
leader  should  enter  into  the  Holy  of  Holies  of  the 
human  soul.  He  must  touch  men  in  all  parts  of  their 
nature,  but  he  can  do  this  only  in  proportion  as  he  has 
control  of  himself. 


XXXV.     THE   READER'S   ATTITUDE 

AFTER  the  reader  of  the  Scriptures  has  realized  the 
problem  or  function  of  the  vocal  interpretation  of  the 
Bible  ;  after  he  has  thoroughly  examined  the  message  he 
is  to  deliver ;  after  he  has  mastered  the  elementary 
actions  of  the  mind  and  the  primary  modulations  of  the 
voice  that  express  them ;  after  he  has  selected  and 
arranged  his  lesson,  adapted  it  to  the  occasion,  and 
brought  to  bear  all  possible  aids,  compared  translations, 
studied  the  customs  of  the  time,  mastered  its  arguments 
and  emotional  movement,  and  realized  its  relations  to 
the  services,  —  what  next? 

He  must  apply  the  truth  to  his  own  soul.  He  must 
enter  into  such  a  perception  of  the  message  that  he  can 
manifest  it  out  of  his  own  experience. 

Bible  reading  requires  one,  in  the  words  of  Professor 
Monroe,  "  to  enjoin  the  truth  upon  himself  and  upon 
other  men."  This  remark  applies,  of  course,  to  the 
moment  of  reading  a  passage  or  to  the  act  of  giving  a 
phrase  or  word ;  but  it  has  also  a  broader  application. 

The  reader  must  have  not  only  knowledge  and  under- 
standing of  the  passage  but  a  personal  apprehension  of 
its  truth.  He  must  searchingly  examine  himself.  "  Do 
I  live  this  message  ?  Has  it  been  food  to  me  ?  Am  I 
living  this  truth  ?  Are  these  words  really  a  '  criticism 
of  life '  to  me  ?  " 

The  reading  of  the  Bible,  as  a  part  of  worship,  implies 

355 


356  THE  SERVICE 

leadership.     The  leader  is  not  one  who  stands  behind 
and  commands  others  or  lays  upon  other  men's  shoulders 
burdens  which  he  himself  will  not  touch,  but  one  who- 
participates  in  the  battle.     A  man  may  possibly  enter- 
tain others  without   leading   them,  but   the   leader   in 
prayer,  in  worship,  or  in  realizing  spiritual  truth  must 
stand  not  face  to  face  but  shoulder  to  shoulder  with  his 
fellow-men.     His  own  face  must  be  turned  toward  the^ 
Infinite  and  Eternal  Source. 

There  are  three  distinct  attitudes  which  men  may 
adopt  toward  the  Bible  and  that  have  been  implied 
through  all  these  discussions. 

The  first  of  these  is  the  critical  or  scientific  attitude. 
It  implies  investigation  as  to  the  character  of  a  book ; 
its  authorship,  its  relation  to  the  age  in  which  it  is  sup- 
posed to  have  been  written,  the  peculiar  language  and 
other  elements  of  the  book  that  indicate  the  character, 
the  history  through  which  it  has  passed,  and  the  arrange- 
ments and  modifications  which  have  been  made  by 
editors.  This  attitude  is  necessary  to  the  understanding 
of  the  Bible.  The  reader  must  accept  the  facts  of  criti- 
cism and  apply  to  vocal  expression  the  latest  results  of 
the  best  scholarship. 

Secondly,  there  is  a  literary  study  or  attitude  which 
naturally  follows,  if  it  be  not  a  part  of  the  critical  study 
of  the  Bible.  It  implies  the  study  of  the  literary  form  of 
the  books,  the  figures,  the  poetic  allusions,  the  beauties, 
the  emotional  feeling,  the  imaginative  whole. 

The  third  attitude  is  the  devotional  or  spiritual  ap- 
plication of  the  thought  to  the  reader's  own  soul,  the 
assimilation  of  its  feeling  by  the  reader's  own  heart. 

The  proper  reading  of  the   Scriptures  involves  all 


THE   READER'S   ATTITUDE  357 

these  three  attitudes.  Where  only  the  first  exists,  the 
reading  is  cold.  Where  the  reader  has  investigated  and 
analyzed  a  passage,  and  leaves  it  with  an  impression  of 
fragments  or  of  mere  documents,  and  no  conception  of 
it  as  a  united  whole,  his  voice  will  be  neutral  and  nega- 
tive, because  such  is  the  attitude  of  his  mind. 

Even  the  literary  study  of  the  Bible  is  not  sufficient. 
By  itself,  it  may  be  formal,  intellectual,  and  simply 
critical.  Many  so-called  literary  renderings  of  the 
Bible  have  some  imagination  and  a  certain  species  of 
feeling,  but  often  a  lyric  is  read  as  a  mere  poem.  There 
is  often  only  admiration  of  the  poetic  or  literary  elements 
of  the  work.  The  true  interpreter  of  the  Bible  must 
realize  that  it  is  not  merely  a  literary  volume,  but  an 
embodiment  of  religious  experience. 

The  devotional  attitude  alone  may  be  sentimental. 
There  may  be  feeling  without  thought.  Without  the 
critical  spirit,  the  devotional  may  have  no  true  basis ; 
without  literary  study,  the  emotion  may  be  aimless  and 
vague  because  not  definitely  related  to  a  specific  situa- 
tion. The  devotional  spirit  must  be  the  true  climax  of- 
any  study  of  the  Scriptures,  the  only  attitude  which  will 
give  a  true  and  adequate  interpretation  of  the  spirit  of 
the  Bible.  Yet  it  must  be  founded  upon  the  others.-^_ 

In  fact,  these  three  methods  of  studying  the  Bible  are 
all  necessary.  Each  is  a  complement  of  the  others. 
No  one  of  them  can  be  isolated  and  made  an  end  in 
itself  without  hindering  the  proper  rendering  of  the 
Bible. 

Not  only  are  all  three  necessary,  but  the  order  which 
is  here  given  should  be  adopted  by  the  reader.  The 
critical  and  the  scientific  must  precede  the  literary 


358  THE   SERVICE 

study.  The  literary  study  of  the  Bible  must  accept 
the  results  of  the  expert  biblical  critic,  and  the  imagina- 
tive appreciation  of  the  passage  must  precede  its  spirit- 
ual realization.  The  emotional  application  of  a  passage 
to  the  reader's  own  soul  will  be  aided  by  the  fuller  per- 
ception of  the  poem,  the  parable,  the  story,  as  the 
universal  experience  of  the  human  heart. 

The  devotional  spirit  is  the  one  in  our  day  which  is 
apt  to  be  despised  and  forgotten.  There  seems  to  be  a 
strange  antagonism  between  the  devotional  attitude  and 
the  critical  attitude.  After  the  meaning  has  been  found, 
after  the  true  character  and  the  pictures  have  been 
created  by  the  imagination,  the  devotional  realization  of 
the  passage  ought  to  be  the  natural  result. 

There  is  no  real  antagonism  between  these  studies. 
Some  persons  seem  to  feel  that  all  that  is  needed  is  the 
devotional  attitude  toward  the  Bible  as  a  whole,  but  this 
alone  is  sentimental.  No  emotion  can  be  genuine  that 
is  not  founded  upon  specific  thought  and  imaginative 
creation  and  sympathetic  realization  of  a  situation  or 
scene.  Genuine  thinking  is  necessary  to  all  genuine 
feeling.  The  devotional  cannot  be  rational,  cannot  be 
exalted,  without  thought. 

More  than  once  in  history  have  men  "  perished  for 
the  lack  of  knowledge."  "  My  people  do  not  con- 
sider"—  or  think  —  is  a  condemnation  which  is  appli- 
cable to  others  besides  the  age  of  Isaiah.  The  most 
thorough  study  of  the  Bible  is  an  aid,  not  a  hindrance, 
to  devotion;  genuine  devotion  is  an  aid  in  searching 
into  the  heart  of  a  passage.  "  Sympathy  is  insight," 
and  insight  brings  sympathy. 

These  three  attitudes  toward  the  Bible  —  the  critical, 


THE   READER'S  ATTITUDE  359 

the  literary,  and  the  spiritual  —  may  be  illustrated  by 
almost  any  Scriptural  passage.  Observe,  for  example, 
their  specific  differences  in  the  study  of  the  fortieth 
chapter  of  Isaiah. 

The  critical  study  of  this  great  chapter  makes  us  real- 
ize that  there  is  an  immense  gap  at  this  point  in  the 
book  of  Isaiah.  In  the  first  half  of  Isaiah,  there  is 
constant  denunciation  of  a  rebellious  nation.  This  part 
opens  with  "Comfort  ye,  comfort  ye  my  people."  "Ye 
have  received  double  for  all  your  sins."  This  part 
of  the  book  is  a  promise  of  deliverance.  The  terrible 
calamity  foretold  has  arrived,  has  long  been  endured; 
and  now  comes  the  hope  of  a  return.  These  two  aspects 
of  the  great  exile  may  be  the  reason  for  the  gathering 
together  of  passages  otherwise  dissimilar. 

From  this  critical  study  we  get  the  situation  and 
the  point  of  view.  We  can  locate  the  speaker  in  the 
midst  of  Babylon.  By  comparing  the  methods  of  an 
ancient  army  on  its  march,  we  can  understand  what  is 
meant  by  the  levelling  of  the  hills  and  the  filling  up  of 
the  valleys. 

Next  to  the  critical  is  the  literary  study  of  the  form,  of 
the  situations  and  scenes,  of  the  poetic  figures,  and  the 
exalted  ideas.  The  beautiful  impersonation  of  Zion  or 
Jerusalem  as  Heraldess  or  Evangelistess,  at  the  opening 
of  the  book,  kindles  our  imagination.  Standing  in  the 
midst  of  Babylon,  the  prophet  seems  to  wave  his  hands 
across  the  sand-hills  toward  the  sacred  home  of  the 
nation  six  hundred  miles  away.  He  sees  Jerusalem  as 
a  mother  looking  for  the  return  of  her  exiled  children. 

We  hear  his  moan  that  the  people  are  like  "  grass  " 
that  is,  with  no  aspiration  j  and  the  spirit  of  Zion  climb- 


360  THE   SERVICE 

ing  up  a  high  mountain  and  proclaiming  to  all  below 
that  Jehovah  is  bringing  back  His  people.  We  can  see 
the  discouraged  auditors  around  him  who  have  almost 
forgotten  their  ancient  home  or  have  only  a  tradition  from 
fathers  and  mothers  who  have  died  in  exile.  We  realize 
the  reason  given  for  hope  —  the  character  of  God.  We 
are  stirred  by  the  sarcasm,  the  ridicule,  of  the  prophet 
at  the  image  cast  by  "  a  smith,"  and  the  "  block  of  wood  " 
carved  into  a  deity,  and  with  him  we  can  cry,  "  Have 
ye  not  known  "  the  character  of  the  Infinite  ?  Have  ye 
not  yet  learned  that  Jehovah  is  a  spiritual  Being  ? 

We  now  naturally  pass  to  an  application  of  the  pas- 
sage to  ourselves.  As  the  prophet  depends  for  his  as- 
surance upon  the  character  of  God,  so  does  every  man 
practically  say :  — 

"  As  the  marsh-hen  secretly  builds  on  the  watery  sod, 
Behold  I  will  build  me  a  nest  on  the  greatness  of  God." 

Upon  this  he  predicates  his  confidence,  his  courage, 
and  his  hope  of  immortality.  In  the  contemplation  of 
eternal  love,  the  reader  too  "  shall  mount  up  with  wings 
as  eagles,  shall  run  and  not  be  weary ;  shall  walk  and 
not  faint." 

But  the  reader  of  the  Bible  must  have  more  than  all 
these  three  attitudes  :  more  than  critical  understanding  ; 
more  than  literary  appreciation;  more  than  even  an 
attitude  of  reverence,  and  deep  experience.  He  must1 
know  the  value  of  a  pause,  a  touch,  a  change  of  pitch, 
an  inflection  or  any  modulation  of  the  voice,  and  be  able 
to  use  it  as  the  direct  language  of  his  imaginative  and 
emotional  life.  No  mere  knowledge  of  the  meaning 
and  function  of  these  modulations  is  sufficient.  They 


THE  READER'S  ATTITUDE  361 

must  be  mastered  and  assimilated ;  they  must  become 
the  instinctive  expression  of  deep  feeling.  However 
deeply  the  reader  may  understand  and  feel  the  Bible, 
he  must  also  command  the  expressive  powers  of  his 
voice  before  he  can  adequately  impress  the  truth  upon 
the  hearts  of  others. 

The  impression  made  upon  many  by  this  long  analy- 
sis doubtless  is  that  the  reader  has  been  given  too 
many  things  to  think  of  in  the  act  of  expression.  "  All 
these  suggestions  are  good,"  some  may  say,  "  but  they 
are  so  complex  that  no  one  can  remember  them  all. 
You  have  made  the  problem  too  difficult.  In  trying  to 
solve  it,  you  have  only  added  to  its  complications." 

Such  ideas  are  the  result  of  misconceptions  of  the 
nature  of  all  expression.  Men  have  many  thousands 
of  words  in  their  vocabulary,  but  in  the  act  of  writing  a 
letter  this  great  number  does  not  confuse  them.  Shake- 
speare did  not  think  of  all  the  fifteen  thousand  words  in 
his  vocabulary  in  composing  one  of  his  lines.  The  living 
thought  brought  up  the  word  and  phrase  to  express  it. 
So  in  vocal  expression.  An  analysis  of  its  elements 
seems  complicated,  but  the  mind  must  go  through  the 
process  of  becoming  conscious  of  the  meaning  of  the 
language,  or  the  voice  modulations  will  not  respond. 

After  the  language  is  mastered,  it  becomes  a  help,  and 
not  a  hindrance.  Language  is  necessary  to  thought  and 
feeling.  To  find  the  right  word  or  the  best  phrase  is  usu- 
ally also  to  get  an  adequate  comprehension  of  the  idea. 
So,  to  secure  the  right  sign  or  modulation  of  the  voice, 
is  to  get  a  more  adequate  impression  or  conception  of  a 
truth,  or  to  feel  it  more  deeply. 


362  THE   SERVICE 

The  reader  must  not  remain  in  the  attitude  of  prep- 
aration. In  preparing  a  lesson,  it  is  necessary  to 
analyze,  to  criticise,  to  compare  modes  of  rendering, 
to  experiment,  to  study  faults  and  misconceptions,  and 
to  find  among  a  hundred  ways  of  giving  a  clause  the 
one,  inevitable,  true  vocal  expression.  The  reader  will 
also  be  struggling  to  find  a  deeper  meaning.  When  he 
gains  the  victory,  the  outward  sign  and  the  inward  idea 
will  become  blended  in  his  consciousness.  In  the  act 
of  reading,  all  critical  uncertainty,  all  experimentation 
will  be  past,  the  expression  will  become  transparent, 
and  the  attention  of  the  mind  will  be  focussed,  not 
upon  the  manner  or  technique,  but  upon  the  thought 
and  situation. 

But  if  the  reader  wraps  himself  in  the  notion  that  he 
must  "  simply  be  natural,"  and  has  no  need  to  pass 
through  a  critical  or  analytical  attitude  of  the  mind,  he 
will  be  unconscious  of  the  inadequacy,  nay,  even  the 
untruthfulness,  of  his  own  expression.  He  will  be 
clothed  in  a  mood,  and  all  will  be  vague.  His  thought 
will  lack  definiteness,  and  he  will  fail  to  distinguish 
shades  of  emotion. 

No  other  than  the  laborious  way  of  study,  profound 
meditation,  and  careful  practice  can  make  the  reader 
master  of  thought  and  feeling,  and  enable  him  to  inter- 
pret a  passage  with  the  natural  modulations  of  his  voice. 

The  reader  must  finally  trust  his  instinct,  but  he  can 
do  this  only  after  careful  preparation  and  thorough 
study,  after  profound  analysis  and  patient  practice.  At 
the  moment  of  reading  he  must  pass,  however,  beyond 
all  uncertainties.  He  must  accept  the  results  of  his 
work.  After  preparing  as  well  as  he  can,  he  must  turn 


THE   READER'S  ATTITUDE  363 

his  face  toward  the  truth  and  toward  his  fellow-men, 
and  give  his  message  as  simply  and  sincerely  as  possible. 
Not  his  now  to  be  in  doubt,  nor  to  study  how  to  render 
any  word  or  phrase.  The  time  for  the  soldier  to  drill 
and  become  familiar  with  the  art  of  war  is  before  the 
battle.  When  the  fight  has  begun,  it  is  too  late  to  prac- 
tise gymnastics,  or  to  deliberate  long  on  how  to  strike. 
The  true  commander  or  leader  acts  decisively  at  the 
right  moment.  He  uses  his  best  judgment ;  he  prepares 
thoroughly,  but  at  the  last  moment  acts  from  instinct. 
The  reader  must  be  familiar  with  his  lesson.  He  must 
have  decided  all  difficult  and  doubtful  points.  He  must 
have  practised  and  experimented  until  at  last  he  can 
give  himself  up  to  his  own  thinking,  imagination,  and 
sympathies,  to  present  instinctive  realization  and  life. 
Imaginative  vision,  genuine  sympathetic  feeling  with  a 
thorough  knowledge  and  conscious  command  over  the 
expressive  modulations  of  the  voice,  must  now  be  the 
reader's  dependence. 

Again,  the  reader  must  not  try  to  make  his  readings 
graceful,  ornamental,  or  beautiful.  He  is  discharging 
an  office  too  serious  for  that.  His  renderings  must  be 
true.  He  is  not  entertaining  or  amusing ;  he  is  endeav- 
oring to  save  men.  Not  his  to  make  an  exhibition  of 
his  elocution,  but  to  deal  with  living  souls,  to  probe  the 
depths  of  men's  consciences  and  spiritual  natures. 

He  must  not  stand  up  in  an  attitude  of  vague  uncer- 
tainty, without  preparation,  on  the  one  hand ;  or,  on  the 
other,  with  elocutionary  rules  and  mechanical  posings  or 
imitation.  Not  elocution,  but  expression,  must  be  his 
motto.  He  must  be  sincere  and  genuine ;  he  must  be 
himself.  He  must  at  last  hold  his  mind  directly  con- 


364  THE   SERVICE 

centrated  upon  the  thought  of  his  message.  The  means 
have  been  mastered,  and  lie,  therefore,  in  the  back- 
ground of  his  consciousness.  When  not  mastered,  or 
made  an  end  in  themselves,  they  may  press  into  the 
foreground  of  consciousness ;  and  their  neglect  or  their 
conscious  manipulation  may  be  equally  a  means  of 
failure.  He  must  hold  all  his  materials  in  the  field 
of  his  consciousness,  but  with  attention  focussed  upon 
the  central  truth,  that  the  life  of  his  mind  may  be 
energetic,  free,  and  spontaneous. 

The  reader  must,  by  thorough  preparation,  do  all  he 
can  to  prevent  faults.  He  must  anticipate  every  danger 
and  realize  every  possibility.  He  must  read  the  passage 
to  his  own  soul,  then  to  an  imaginary  audience.  But 
when  the  time  for  reading  comes,  he  must  forget  his 
faults.  The  demon  of  fear  that  haunts  every  man  on 
the  threshold  of  endeavor  must  be  put  down  by  present 
realization,  courage,  a  sense  of  thorough  preparation, 
and  mastery  of  the  means  to  be  employed. 

The  study  of  vocal  expression  gives  a  man  possession 
of  himself.  It  does  not  cause  self-consciousness  when 
rightly  realized  and  understood.  When  the  modulations 
of  the  voice  are  not  made  mere  mechanical  ornaments 
to  be  consciously  manipulated,  but  are  regarded  as  a 
deep  natural  language  and  are  mastered,  self-conscious- 
ness is  prevented.  The  more  thorough  the  preparation, 
therefore,  the  more  spontaneous  and  free,  the  more 
nobly  unconscious  of  himself  is  the  reader,  and  the 
more  directly  can  he  reveal  to  others  the  impressions 
which  the  truth  makes  upon  his  soul. 

This  book  has  aimed  to  awaken  higher  ideals  regard- 
ing the  reading  of  the  Bible  in  public  worship.  It  has 


THE   READER'S   ATTITUDE  365 

endeavored  to  open  the  eyes  of  all  to  a  neglected  func- 
tion, to  an  overlooked  means  of  power,  and  to  stir  spir- 
itual leaders  to  the  importance  of  reading  the  Bible 
better.  Naturally,  in  view  of  the  greatness  of  the  prob- 
lem, many  will  be  discouraged.  But  there  is  another 
side.  How  great  are  the  encouragements  to  those  who 
endeavor  to  read  the  Bible  well!  What  gathering  of 
men  anywhere  is  not  hungry  for  spiritual  leadership  ? 
What  congregation  does  not  long  to  hear  the  Scriptures 
read  well?  Even  when  its  profound  lessons  are  read 
moderately  well,  how  heartfelt  is  the  delight  of  all  who 
listen ! 

It  is  from  the  laymen  that  one  hears  the  most  criticism 
of  the  ordinary  pulpit  interpretation  of  the  Bible.  Among 
everyday  Christians  the  true  interpreter  will  never  fail 
to  meet  a  response.  To  one  who  will  take  himself  seri- 
ously in  hand,  study  the  lesson  in  all  its  bearings,  and 
examine  the  true  use  of  the  modulations  of  the  voice, 
put  aside  fear,  and  dare  to  be  the  living  embodiment  of 
the  truth,  will  come  a  joyful  sense  of  life  and  power. 

How  few  public  readers,  teachers  of  Bible  classes,  or 
even  preachers  have  come  to  feel  the  sense  of  power 
over  themselves  and  over  others  which  can  only  be 
given  by  the  true  vocal  interpretation  of  the  Scriptures ! 

Around  the  words  of  the  Bible  are  gathered  tender 
memories  and  associations.  The  wildest  and  most  reck- 
less man  in  the  congregation  may  have  heard  at  his 
mother's  knee  the  words  you  read.  As  they  are  once 
more  made  to  live,  they,  as  no  other  words,  will  hold 
him  in  rapt  attention.  What  pictures  they  awaken  in 
the  most  hardened  !  What  aspirations  and  spiritual  en- 
deavor are  renewed  in  the  weak  and  the  wavering ! 


366  THE  SERVICE 

The  true  reader  meets  no  intellectual  or  antagonistic  dis- 
cussion. There  is  no  debate,  nor  hard  and  dry  forcing 
of  one  man's  opinions  upon  another.  These  sublime 
words  appeal  to  men's  intuitions,  and  turn  all  inward  to 
face  the  Eternal  Presence. 

What  is  the  preacher's  final  appeal  in  struggling  with 
a  soul  at  some  crisis  ?  To  some  sentence  from  the  Bible. 
When  he  faces  a  young  man,  wavering  and  discouraged 
at  some  turning-point,  what  does  he  give  him  ?  Some 
words  of  the  Master.  When  he  stands  up  to  conduct 
some  funeral  service,  and  looks  around  him  on  the 
broken-hearted,  what  can  he  do  but  read  those  words 
that  have  ministered  to  the  sorrow-stricken  for  thousands 
of  years  ?  Great  leaders  of  thought  and  of  human  prog- 
ress, over  whom  the  most  eloquent  eulogies  might  be 
pronounced,  are  often  laid  to  rest  with  simply  the  words 
of  the  Bible.  Whatever  theories  men  may  hold  regard- 
ing the  Bible,  there  can  be  no  doubt  as  to  the  potency 
of  its  influence  or  the  directness  of  its  power  over  the 
human  heart.  Here  are  the  most  simple  and  heart- 
searching  of  all  words  that  have  ever  been  uttered. 
Who  does  not  tremble  at  the  thought  of  presenting 
these  interpretations  of  the  spiritual  life  of  the  race  to  a 
group  of  his  fellow-men  ?  Who  can  dare  present  them 
with  cold  formalism  or  indifference  ?  Why  do  men  fail 
to  realize  this  great  means  of  moving  the  hearts  of  their 
fellow-men  ?  These  sublime  words  embody  the  spiritual 
life  of  the  race,  and  make  the  finite  mind  conscious  of 
infinite  spirit ;  and  when  one  expresses  the  impression 
they  produce  upon  his  own  heart,  he  awakens  the  high- 
est aspirations  and  finds  a  means  of  communion  with 
his  fellow-men  in  the  realm  of  spirit. 


THE  READER'S   ATTITUDE  367 

The  miraculous  effect  which  fable  ascribes  to  the  utter- 
ance of  the  ineffable  name,  —  a  name  which  was  written 
but  never  spoken  except  by  the  adept  —  may  be  found  by 
the  true  reader  to  be  no  mere  legend.  By  mastering  the 
elemental  acts  of  his  mind  and  the  expressive  modula- 
tions of  his  voice,  he  may  come  to  realize  the  hidden 
meaning  of  the  ancient  story.  By  learning  the  nature 
of  feeling  and  the  laws  of  vocal  expression,  securing 
control  of  his  imagination  and  the  simple  elements  of 
conversation,  he  may  gain  the  power  of  transforming 
the  written  into  the  spoken  word. 


INDEX 


Abraham,  his  prayer  for  Sodom,  115- 
116;  prayer  and  answer,  a  complete 
lesson,  Genesis  xix.-xx.,  288-289. 

Accentuation,  or  exaggeration,  as  a  test 
of  power,  322-323. 

Actions  of  mind,  rhythmic,  139-142; 
see  Discrimination,  Method,  Think- 
ing, Attention. 

Acts,  book  of,  a  letter,  68;  epic  tran- 
sition in,  250;  i.  9,  and  iv.  12-13, 
transitions  in,  272;  vii.-viii.  i,  200; 
vii.  37-60,  effect  in  different  readings 
of,  235;  vii.,  contrast  of  common- 
place and  sympathy  in,  288 ;  vii.  60, 
transition  in,  164 ;  xii.  1-24,  Peter's 
deliverance,  290;  xvii.  16-34,  Paul  at 
Athens,  74;  xxi.  i5~xxiii.  n,  Paul's 
arrest,  unity  of  lesson  on,  290 ;  xxiii. 
i-io,  oratory  of  Paul,  74;  xxvi.,  Paul 
before  Agrippa,  73. 

Allegoric  spirit  in  Bible  (viii.) ,  83-85  ; 
allied  to  double  meaning,  83 ;  ex- 
plained, 135;  illustrated  by  Hosea, 
84,  by  Ecclesiastes  xii.  1-8,  84,  by 
Jonah,  84-85;  important  in  early 
literature,  83-84. 

Ananias  and  Sapphira,  movement  in 
story  of,  255. 

Antithesis,  shown  by  change  of  pitch, 
165;  by  inflection,  174;  in  Paul's  dis- 
cussion of  resurrection,  i  Corinthians 
xv.,  169-170. 

Application,  of  lesson  to  reader  him- 
self, 297,  355 ;  of  parables,  275. 

Argument  (xxi.),  197-211 ;  central  ideas 
illustrated,  197-199 ;  must  be  re- 
vealed, 197 ;  general,  of  Bible  should 
be  studied,  291-292;  how  shown,  78- 
79 ;  illustrated  by  Psalm  xix.,  197-199 ; 
by  Sermon  on  Mount,  202-211 ;  by 


death  of  Stephen,  Acts  vii.-viii.  i, 
200;  Good  Samaritan,  187-189;  Job 
xxviii.,  201-202;  importance  of,  in 
public  reading,  197;  see  Method, 
Melody,  Inflection,  Arrangement, 
Rmphasis. 

Aristotle,  definition  of  poetry,  214 ;  his 
test  of  great  literature  applied  to 
epic,  105. 

Arrangement  of  lesson  (xxvii.),  287- 
292 ;  illustrated  by  story  of  destruc- 
tion of  Sodom,  288-289;  Elijah  at 
Carmel,  289 ;  arrest  of  Paul,  Acts  xxi. 
15-xxiii.  ii,  290;  Peter's  deliver- 
ance, 290. 

Art,  aim  of,  75 ;  as  an  element  in  na- 
ture, 117;  attitude  of,  needed  by 
reader,  46 ;  Christ  compelled  to  use, 
117;  less  likely  to  be  misconceived, 
118;  in  interpretation,  118-119;  laws 
of,  applied  to  Bible,  317-318 ;  method 
of,  necessary,  118 ;  must  be  explained 
by  art,  116;  nature  of,  213;  necessary 
in  explaining  Bible,  117;  necessity 
of,  117-118;  obeys  nature,  119;  of 
Master  (xii.),  117-132;  parable,  a 
work  of,  118-119;  shows  deeper 
truth,  118;  see  Poetry,  Literature. 

Assimilation,  absence  of,  ill.,  238 ;  atti- 
tude of  mind,  238-239 ;  causes  change 
in  attitude  of  mind,  239-240 ;  epic  in- 
stinct of,  239;  expression  of,  244; 
illustrated  by  Pharisee  and  publican, 
Luke  xviii.  9-14,  238-239 ;  by  Prodi- 
gal Son,  239;  interprets  sublimity, 
243 ;  negative  and  positive,  shown  by, 
239-240 ;  questions  decided  by,  241 ; 
shows  character,  238-239 ;  see  Move- 
ment, Dramatic,  Epic,  Transitions. 

Assyrians,  Isaiah's  reference  to,  80. 


2B 


369 


370 


INDEX 


Attention,  determines  phrasing,  150- 
!S3 1  expressed  by  rhythmic  empha- 
sis, 153 ;  first  requisite  in  expression, 
144-145 ;  in  method,  168-169 1  must 
be  secured  in  opening  sentences, 
342;  necessity  of,  in  story-telling, 
60 ;  needs  pause,  147-148 ;  primary 
action  of  mind,  139-141 ;  problems 
for,  147-150,  154-155;  rhythm  of, 
140-142;  xiv.,  139-142;  shown  by 
touch,  148-150;  staying  of,  148;  see 
Pause,  Thinking,  Touch. 

Attitude  of  reader  (xxxv.),  355-367; 
toward  the  Bible,  critical,  356,  de- 
votional, 357-358,  literary,  356-357; 
illustrated  by  Isaiah  xl.,  358-360; 
necessity  of  all  modes  of  studying 
Bible,  358-359 ;  in  Prodigal  Son,  239 ; 
in  Scripture  lesson,  338-339 ;  of 
mind,  different  in  different  parts  of 
the  service,  338 ;  see  Assimilation, 
Dramatic,  Epic. 

Beatitudes,  antithetic  to  law,  204-205 ; 
reading  of,  203. 

Beecher,  making  comments,  in  read- 
ing, 333- 

Bible,  books  should  be  properly  an- 
nounced, 340;  criticism,  results  of, 
accepted  by  reader,  46;  customs 
important,  214 ;  dramatic,  96 ;  effects 
of  false  reverence  for,  44-45 ;  full  of 
oratory,  71-82;  governed  by  laws 
of  literature,  47 ;  human,  43-44 ;  im- 
agination needed,  215 ;  in  worship 
(i.),  3-16;  last  appeal  of  preacher, 
366;  literary  spirit  (iv.),  43-58,  and 
vocal  expression,  133-136;  literary 
study  of,  55-56 ;  literature  of  power, 
45-47,  213 ;  misconceived  from  lack 
of  knowledge  of  its  literary  forms, 
50 ;  needs  artistic  point  of  view,  48 ; 
peculiar  function  of  reading  of,  in 
worship,  3-16 ;  reading  of,  by  Christ 
in  synagogue,  121;  reading  of,  de- 
fined, 230-231 ;  neglected,  21 ;  right 
point  of  view  in  studying,  43 ;  should 
it  be  read  in  public?  21-22;  simple, 
45 ;  stories  of,  popular,  61 ;  study  of, 


should  begin  on  human  side,  43; 
why  expressed  in  human  language, 
43 ;  sublimity  in,  214 ;  see  Criticism, 
Lesson,  Literary  Study,  Reading. 

Blind  man,  account  of,  in  John  ix.,  an- 
alyzed, 275-283;  epic  elements  in 
story  of,  109. 

Booth,  Edwin,  epic  in  "  Hamlet,"  107. 

Breathing,  too  seldom,  common  fault, 
how  corrected,  336. 

Brooks,  Phillips,  prayer  at  Harvard,  6 ; 
on  ministerial  helps,  306. 

Browning,  Mrs.,  on  deepest  prayer,  7. 

Burlesque  and  farce,  why  low  forms  of 
dramatic,  105-106. 

Carelessness,  in  announcing  Scripture 
lessons,  340. 

Carlyle,  on  story-telling,  59. 

Central  ideas,  analysis  of,  in  John  ix., 
275-283;  in  attention,  186-187;  *n 
method,  168;  must  be  found,  169- 
170 ;  illustrated,  I  Corinthians  xv.  35- 
49,  248;  see  Conversational  Form, 
Emphasis,  Melody,  Method. 

Centrality  and  repose,  test  of  good 
reading,  324. 

Change  of  ideas  (xvi.),  156-159,  and 
pitch  (xvii.) ,  160-166 ;  changes  pitch, 
160 ;  destroyed  by  enumeration,  162 ; 
shown  by  pause,  144,  touch,  148 ;  see 
Discrimination,  Method. 

Change  of  pitch,  agility  of  voice,  161 ; 
in  application  of  parable,  165 ;  cause 
of,  160-163 1  m  cooperation  with  in- 
flection, 185;  shows  discriminations, 
161-162;  elements  in  melody,  184- 
187  ;  emphatic,  164 ;  extreme,  justi- 
fied by  pause  and  touch,  162;  free, 
160 ;  function  of,  165 ;  how  developed, 
166;  helps  other  modulations,  266; 
important  in  Scripture  reading,  161 ; 
overlooked  in  Bible  reading,  163, 166 ; 
in  parallelisms,  161-162 ;  shows  ani- 
mation, 166;  shows  contrast,  165- 
166;  sing-song,  fault  of,  163;  un- 
usual, found  often  in  .Bible,  164 ;  see 
Conversational  Form,  Faults,  Inflec- 
tion, Monotony,  Range. 


INDEX 


371 


Chaos,  shown  by  absence  of  rhythm, 

143-144. 
Character,  relation  of,  to  experience, 

234. 

Cheyne,  early  translation  of  Psalms,  332 ; 
on  Psalm  i.,  218-219;  on  Psalm  lv., 
219. 

Christ,  see  Jesus,  Master. 

Cibber,  Colley,  on  "  King  Lear,"  49. 

Circumflex  inflections,  meaning  of,  181- 
182;  not  necessary  in  conversation, 
181-182;  tend  to  degrade,  181-182; 
undignified,  181. 

Clauses,  change  of  pitch  in,  184-185; 
movement  emphasizes,  247-268. 

Coleridge,  on  mark  of  culture,  167 ; 
imitation  not  possible  in  reading  his 
"  Mont  Blanc,"  101-102. 

Color,  change  of,  after  word  "but," 
207 ;  goes  with  movement,  269 ;  see 
Tone-color. 

Colossians  iv.  16,  18. 

Commandments,  how  rendered,  350. 

Comments  should  be  rare,  333. 

Commonplace,  gauge  of  faculties  not 
proper  in  Bible  reading,  237,  in  dec- 
laration, 344,  in  prayer,  349. 

Common  Prayer,  Book  of,  see  Prayer- 
book. 

Contrast,  between  Christ  and  woman  of 
Samaria,  182 ;  between  parables,  274 ; 
illustrated,  170 ;  in  Psalm  i.,  171 ;  in 
Jeremiah  xvii.  5-8,  275;  Jews  and 
blind  man,  278-283 ;  of  feeling,  230- 
231 ;  of  illustration  and  thought  in 
i  Corinthians  xv.  35-49, 248 ;  of  Mas- 
ter and  Jews,  192-193 ;  of  objective 
and  subjective  in  i  Kings  xix.,  242- 
243;  in  rhythm,  147;  see  Movement, 
Modulations,  Transitions. 

Conversation,  elements  of,  in  delivery, 
6 ;  must  be  studied  by  preacher,  6 ; 
form  in,  186-189;  elements  of,  186; 
see  Inflection,  Melody. 

F  Corinthians  ii.  4,  301 ;  iii.  9,  301 ; 
x.  1-4,  304;  xiii.,  275;  xiii.  i,  301; 
xiii.  9,  300;  xv.,  169,  170,  248,  249 
290,  291 ;  xv.  29,  291 ;  xv.  32,  300. 

2  Corinthians  xi.  22-29,  175. 


Creed,  repetition  of,  348-349. 

Criticism,  analytic,  169;  followed  by 
devotional  spirit,  356-357;  how  re- 
lated to  literary  and  devotional  study, 
357-359;  latest  to  be  accepted,  46- 
47;  only  at  beginning,  198;  self 
(xxxi.),  317-327;  should  be  first, 
356;  see  Tests. 

Customs,  of  Bible  must  be  studied,  296- 
297;  of  early  Christians  in  reading, 
17-20. 

David's  lament,  2  Samuel  xviii.  31-33, 
232. 

Declamation,  why  undignified,  261-262. 

Delivery,  of  Christ,  120-121 ;  essential 
part  of  sermon,  5;  faults  in,  caused 
by  lack  of  discrimination  in  feeling, 
230;  first  words  important  in,  339; 
nature  of,  230;  peculiarities  of,  in 
each  form  of  literature,  134-135 ;  re- 
quires feeling,  238 ;  of  sermon  based 
on  conversation,  6. 

Delsarte,  test  of  power,  119,  322. 

De  Quincey,  on  literature  of  power,  213. 

Description,  not  necessarily  epic,  104. 

Deuteronomy  xvi.  20,  312 ;  xxvii.  15-26, 
203;  xxx.  11-14,  8 '.  xxxiii.  34,  255. 

Devil,  words  of,  in  temptation,  dra- 
matic, in. 

Devotional  spirit,  climax  of  critical  and 
literary,  357-360;  naturally  follows 
critical  and  literary  spirit,  357. 

Dialogue,  almost  formal  in  Hosea,  96; 
between  Christ  and  the  woman,  John 
iv.,  253;  blind  man,  275-283;  impor- 
tance of  movement  in,  253;  Luke 
vii.  35  seq.,  232;  see  Dramatic. 

Didactic,  address  to  people,  343 ;  easily 
read,  68  ;  spirit  (vi.) ,  in  Bible,  67-70 ; 
basis  of  other  modes  of  expression, 
69 ;  false,  is  negative,  69. 

Dignity,  expression  of,  261;  how  de- 
stroyed, 262;  shown  by  straight  in- 
flections, 181. 

Discrimination  (xvi.),  156-159;  illus- 
trated by  Psalm  xci.,  157-158;  im- 
portance of,  in  vocal  expression,  156 ; 
important  in  all  thinking,  156;  of 


372 


INDEX 


ideas  shows  freedom  of  mind,  25; 
see  Change  of  Pitch. 

Double  meaning  of  Scripture,  82-83. 

Dramatic,  actors  on,  94;  Bible  full  of, 
96 ;  contrasted  with  epic,  109 ;  defined 
and  explained,  94,  97,  235,  236 ;  de- 
grees of,  106;  dependent  on  degree 
of  sympathy,  105-106 ;  direct  and  in- 
direct, 99-100;  founded  on  stories, 
261;  on  human  plane,  101;  identifi- 
cation (xxiv.),  233-243;  in  prophets, 
96 ;  in  Simon's  words,  97 ;  John  ix., 
275-283 ;  imagination  and  sympathy 
in,  97,  234,  236;  instinct,  235;  illus- 
trated by  story  of  Naaman,  2  Kings 
v.,  62-66,  Song  of  Solomon,  95,  Job, 
95,  Psalm  xc.,  51-52;  implies  action, 
97 ;  imitation  lowest  form  of,  100 ; 
importance  of,  102 ;  shown  by  Judge 
Staples,  93-94 ;  movement,  102,  244- 
257;  must  not  be  studied  theoreti- 
cally, 97;  not  merely  in  description, 
104;  negative,  98;  overemphasized, 
in;  parables,  96;  personation  and 
participation,  100;  poetry  distinct 
from  prose,  94;  point  of  view  in, 
101 ;  portraiture  subordinate  to  epic, 
326 ;  rank  of,  105 ;  reading,  why  not 
liked,  99;  relation  of  sympathy  to, 
99 ;  true,  does  not  slight  lyric  and 
epic,  100;  often  made  a  standard, 
112-113;  truthfulness  in,  52;  vari- 
ously conceived,  93-94 ;  see  Assimi- 
lation, Epic,  Imagination,  Movement, 
Sympathy. 

Drunkards,  Isaiah  to,  Isaiah  xxviii., 
and  their  interruption,  222. 

Earnestness,  increases  range,  186-187; 
needed  in  Scripture  reading,  207; 
not  antagonism,  226;  physical  and 
spiritual,  322 ;  right  method  of  show- 
ing, 322 ;  two  kinds  of,  262,  297. 

Ecclesiastes  iii.  1-14,  165 ;  xii.  1-8,  84. 

Economy,  as  a  principle  of  style,  Spencer 
on,  314. 

Ecstasy,  not  genuine  feeling,  215-216. 

Elijah,  at  Mount  Carmel,  242-243 ; 
dramatic  instinct  in,  241 ;  his  point 


of  view,  101;  Jehovah's  lesson  to, 
242-243;  story  of,  illustrating  epic, 
108-109. 

Elisha,  story  of,  2  Kings  v.,  62-66. 

Emmaus,  journey  to,  movement  in,  249. 

Emotions,  expressed  by  tone-color, 
225-230;  gamut  of,  narrow,  229; 
must  be  developed,  230;  genuine- 
ness of,  214-215 ;  given  on  all  pitches, 
163;  ignoble  in  Psalms,  how  ren- 
dered, 91 ;  lack  of,  corrected  by 
awakening  imagination,  228 ;  may 
be  suppressed,  230 ;  must  be  living, 
295 ;  truthfulness  of,  how  developed, 
231-232 ;  variety  of  the  Master's,  114- 
115  ;  see  Assimilation,  Feeling. 

Emphasis,  accentuates  modulations, 
185;  danger  of  specific  rules  and 
modes,  176 ;  by  change  of  pitch,  164- 
165;  dignity  of,  by  inflection,  178; 
faults  of,  55  ;  marks  for,  306-307 ;  of 
thought,  269;  on  a  specific  word, 
306-307 ;  overworked,  262 ;  rhythmic, 
153;  senses  in  which  it  has  been 
employed,  263;  shown  by  Greek 
(xxix.) ,  298-310 ;  shown  by  postpone- 
ment in  Greek,  301-302,  postpone- 
ment in  Hebrew,  312,  precedence  in 
Greek,  300,  precedence  in  Hebrew, 
311;  proximity  in  Greek,  302;  repe- 
tition in  Greek,  303-304;  repetition 
in  Hebrew,  312-314;  separation  in 
Greek,  302;  true  meaning  of,  263; 
see  Method,  Modulations,  Inflection, 
Unity,  Vocal  Expression. 

Emphatic  pause,  147;  effect  of,  260; 
illustrated,  190;  importance  of,  in 
I  John  iii.  3,  191 ;  needs  subordina- 
tion with  change  of  pitch,  260;  united 
with  melody,  261. 

Ephesians  ii.  4-6,  251. 

Epic,  assimilation  in  (xxiv.) ,  233-243 ; 
spirit  (xi.),  104-116;  always  united 
to  lyric  and  dramatic,  113;  analysis 
of,  in  John  ix.,  275-283 ;  at  close  of 
story  of  Elisha,  2  Kings  v.  27,  115; 
compared  with  tragedy,  105-106; 
contrasted  with  dramatic,  105,  109; 
contrasted  with  narrative  in  Moses' 


INDEX 


373 


call,  113;  contrast  of  epic  and  dra- 
matic in  the  Temptation,  in  ;  distin- 
guished from  lyric  and  dramatic, 
242;  dramatic  at  expense  of,  de- 
grades, 109;  elements  and  illustra- 
tions of,  104-115;  expression  of,  114, 
116,  241-243;  found  at  the  climax, 
243,  326;  found  in  everyday  life, 
106-107 ;  founded  on  story,  61 ; 
higher  poetry  of,  104;  higher  than 
dramatic,  105 ;  illustrated  by  Parable 
of  Prodigal  Son,  121-132;  imperso- 
nation, iio-in;  importance  of,  116; 
includes  dramatic,  104;  in  descrip- 
tive clauses,  108  ;  in  Scripture  read- 
ing, 107;  misconceived,  112;  instinct, 
108 ;  common,  106 ;  Mrs.  Siddons' 
practice  of,  112;  nature  of,  104;  not 
merely  descriptive,  104;  not  per- 
sonal, 106;  ought  to  be  standard 
in  Bible  reading,  112;  reader  must 
be  himself,  107-108 ;  must  show  his 
impressions,  108;  simple,  113-114; 
slighted  by  public  readers,  112; 
spirit,  not  letter,  116;  sympathy  dif- 
ferent from  dramatic,  in,  112; 
tested  by  dignity,  114;  united  with 
dramatic,  107;  vocal  expression  of, 
114 ;  see  Assimilation,  Dramatic. 

Epistles,  argument  in,  shown  by 
Twentieth-century  New  Testament, 
54,  333;  read  differently  from  the 
Gospel,  350;  method  in,  should  be 
studied,  169. 

Ewald,  on  Hebrew  parallelisms,  52-53 ; 
on  Isaiah  xxviii.,  222 ;  on  pronominal 
suffixes,  313;  on  spirit  of  Hebrew, 

3«- 

Exodus  iii.,  113;  xv.,  1-19,  22,  90. 

Experience,  best  sermon  full  of,  5; 
necessity  of,  in  expression,  233-234; 
negation  of,  causes  faults  in  delivery, 
234 ;  see  Assimilation,  Epic. 

Expression,  differs  from  elocution,  164 ; 
when  to  study,  363 ;  different  in  dif- 
ferent parts  of  service,  338 ;  difficult 
to  detect,  224 ;  effects  on  modulations 
of  voice,  224 ;  caused  by  thinking,  3 ; 
helps  thinking,  264;  its  true  charac- 


ter, 56-57 ;  manifestation  not  a  repro- 
duction, 326;  of  abnormal  moods, 
321 ;  of  earnestness,  322 ;  of  imagi- 
nation (xxiii.) ,  224-232 ;  prayer  a  form 
of  vocal,  9-10 ;  primary  requisite  of, 
159 ;  repose  in,  324 ;  rhythmic,  143- 
155;  spiritual,  requires  pause  and 
touch,  154;  subtilest  in  tone-color, 
226;  summarized,  234-235;  see  Vocal 
Expression,  Modulations,  Reading. 
Ezekiel  xxxvii.  i-io,  249-250. 

Farrar,  Dean,  on  "  thou  "  in  speech  of 
Pilate,  303. 

Faults,  accentuating  weakness,  322; 
breathing  too  seldom,  how  corrected, 
146,  336;  cause  of,  lack  of  feeling, 
230;  not  realizing  each  idea,  157; 
neutrality,  234;  feeling  subject  as  a 
whole,  230;  critical  attitude,  45; 
coldness,  how  corrected,  212-213, 
225-226;  false  earnestness,  262;  false 
reverence,  44 ;  of  form  and  color, 
228 ;  emphasizing  little  words,  44 ; 
hesitation,  145;  in  prayer,  8,  9;  in 
reading  mere  enumeration,  illus- 
trated by  Psalm  civ.,  162;  lack  of 
genuineness,  214,  215 ;  lack  of  sub- 
ordination, 189;  lack  of  tone-color, 
266,  267 ;  loudness,  261 ;  ministerial 
tunes,  193-196,  how  corrected,  367; 
exercises  for  correction,  195-196; 
monotony  of  movement,  269;  nar- 
rowness of  range,  186,  192 ;  negation 
of  experience,  234 ;  neglect  of  feeling, 
229;  neglect  of  preparation,  294; 
overestimating  the  dramatic,  m- 
112;  pause  a  remedy  for  monotony, 
145;  repetition,  not  pronunciation, 
22 ;  sadness,  226 ;  sameness  of  pitch, 
156;  sing-song,  163;  unnaturalness, 
261 ;  untruthfulness,  265 ;  see  Minis- 
terial Tunes. 

Feeling,  contrasts  in,  232 ;  can  be  edu- 
cated, 229;  control  of,  gained  by 
study  of  dialogue,  232 ;  depends  on 
imagination,  213-215 ;  distinguished 
from  intellect,  228-229;  every  idea 
has  one  of  its  own,  229 ;  expressed 


374 


INDEX 


by  tone-color,  225-226;  importance 
of  simple,  in  Bible  reading,  44;  in- 
flection not  affected  by  feeling  in 
strong  characters,  227  ;  necessity  of 
truth  of,  226;  sadness  corrected  by 
awakening  imagination,  226 ;  should 
be  expressed  as  strong  as  possible, 
321 ;  should  be  studied,  229 ;  transi- 
tions in,  everywhere  in  Bible,  226; 
untruthfulness  of,  295-296;  why 
neglected,  229 ;  see  Emotion,  Experi- 
ence, Tone-color,  Ministerial  Tunes, 
Unity. 

Figures,  in  Bible  vivid,  214 ;  in  Psalm 
xxiii.,  47-48 ;  movement  of,  252-253 ; 
transition  in  James  iii.  3-8,  273. 

Flaubert  on  style,  32. 

Flexibility,  mental  and  vocal  con- 
nected, 161 ;  of  voice,  importance  of, 
192 ;  developed  by  mind,  192. 

Forms,  of  literature  not  artificial,  133 ; 
of  worship  should  be  studied,34O-34i. 

Freedom    in    thinking,    how    fettered, 

I56-IS7. 
Fundamentals  of  conversation  must  be 

accentuated,  322-323. 
Funerals,  John  xiv.  1-4,  helpful  at,  291 ; 

lessons  for,  variety  of  passages  should 

be  chosen,  290-291. 

Galatians  i.  1-3,  251 ;    ii.  6-10,  251 ;  ii. 

19,  20,  304. 
Gehazi,  description  of  his  punishment, 

epic,  115;  rebuke  to,  115. 
Genesis  i.  1-8,  24,  311;  xviii.  22;   xix. 

29,  115-116,  288-289;   xxxvii.  8,  314; 

xli.  17,  311. 
Gesture,  contrasted  with  attitudes,  334- 

335 ;  least  dignified  expression,  334 ; 

meaning  of,  335 ;  not  used  in  Bible 

reading,  334  ;    objective,  335  ;     in 

soliloquy,  335 ;  with  head,  weak,  335. 
Gethsemane,  lesson  on  intense  feeling, 

232;    only  realized  by  imagination, 

215. 
God,  cannot   be   impersonated,  101; 

see  Epic. 
Goethe,  on  situation  of  poems,  216 ;  on 

suggestiveness,  325. 


Golden  Rule,  in  relation  to  Sermon  on 
Mount,  207-208,  210. 

Good  Samaritan,  study  of,  to  illustrate 
method  and  melody,  187. 

Gospel,  read  different  from  Epistle  in 
service,  350. 

Grace  and  charm,  danger  of,  363. 

Granger,  quotation  from  "  Soul  of  a 
Christian,"  4. 

Greek,  order  of  words  in,  298 ;  delicacy 
of,  may  be  shown  by  voice,  305; 
flexible  inflectional  language,  298; 
spirit  of,  in  application  to  Bible  read- 
ing (xxix.),  298-310;  structure  of,  in 
relation  to  vocal  expression,  298-310 ; 
technical  knowledge  of  little  help, 
308  ;  ways  of  indicating  emphasis  in, 
299-304 ;  word  for  "  love  "  in  John 
xxi.,  305. 

Habakkuk  iii.  2-19,  141. 

Harmony,  all  modulations  in,  258-283; 
implies  opposition  in  unity,  339; 
importance  of,  in  all  parts  of  ser- 
vice, 337-338 ;  of  service  in  Prayer- 
book,  340-352 ;  of  the  Service  (xxiv.), 
337-354;  should  be  studied,  354;  see 
Unity. 

Headings  of  Psalms t  216-217;  see 
Situation, 

Hebrew,  structure  and  spirit  of  («x.) , 
311-316;  importance  of  repetition  in, 
312-313 ;  leaps  with  passion,  222, 
314-315;  literature  of,  centres  in 
lyric  and  oratoric,  95 ;  more  difficult 
to  translate  than  Greek,  314;  order 
of  words  in,  similar  to  Greek,  311; 
peculiarity  of  verbs,  312-313;  primi- 
tive idioms  in,  312;  specially  de- 
pendent on  rhythm,  316;  spirit  can 
be  shown  by  vocal  expression,  311. 

Hebrews  vi.  19,  301-302 ;  vii.  22,  301 ; 
xi.  4,  302;  xi.  32,  301. 

Herder,  on  background  of  Psalms, 
216. 

Hesitation,  cause  of,  145 ;  see  Faults. 

History  of  Scripture  reading,  17-21. 

Hosea,  symbolic,  84 ;  xi,  95-96 ;  xiii,  3, 
252 ;  xiv.  5-8,  252. 


INDEX 


375 


Host,  figure  of,  in  Psalm  xxiii.,  47-48. 

Humboldt,  Alexander  von,  on  written 
word,  56. 

Hunt,  Holman,  preparation  for  paint- 
ing, 296. 

Ideality,  as  a  test  of  good  reading,  321. 

Ideas,  and  pitch,  change  of  fxvii.), 
160-166;  change  of,  changes  pitch, 
160;  delicate  discrimination  realizes, 
Psalm  xci.,  157-158;  movement  of, 
free,  160-161. 

Identification,  an  instinct,  235 ;  shows 
itself  before  a  quotation,  99 ;  sympa- 
thy shown  by  (xxiv.),  233-243;  see 
Assimilation,  Movement,  Dramatic. 

Idioms,  connected  with  vocal  expres- 
sion, 304 ;  Hebrew,  312,  repetition  of 
nouns,  312,  of  pronouns  and  verbs, 

3i3- 

Illustrations,  expression  of,  273-274; 
given  rapidly,  274;  of  Christ  not 
read  as  parables,  Luke  vii.  41-42, 
274;  of  unity,  199-200. 

Imagination,  awakens  emotion,  214- 
215;  bases  action  on  facts,  216; 
Calvary  and  Gethsemane  realized 
by,  215 ;  can  picture  Master's  de- 
livery, 120-121;  dramatic,  must  be 
trusted,  223 ;  use  of,  224 ;  element  of 
dramatic  instinct,  94 ;  explained,  212 ; 
expressed  more  directly  by  color  and 
movement,  264-265,  224-226 ;  expres- 
sion of  (xxiii.),  224-232;  function  of 
(xxii.),  212-223;  idealizes  all  modu- 
lations, 225 ;  importance  of,  223 ; 
literature  of,  213 ;  must  be  awakened, 
212-213 ;  nature  of,  212 ;  necessary 
in  Scripture  study,  57;  needed  by 
traveller,  215;  see  Literary  Spirit, 
Tone-color,  Dramatic,  Epic,  Poetry. 

Imitation,  danger  of,  in  Bible  reading, 
99;  illustrated,  100;  only  found  in 
farce  and  caricature,  100 ;  unsympa- 
thetic, 100. 

Impersonation,  belongs  to  undignified 
speeches,  102,  107;  danger  of,  99, 
101;  epic,  in  Nathan,  109-110;  in 
Christ,  no-in ;  not  highest  element 


of  dramatic,  98-102;  preceded  by 
participation,  ico-ioi. 

Inflection  (xix.),  172-183;  absence  of, 
shows  lack  of  thought,  182 ;  accentu- 
ated with  all  modulations,  269;  al- 
ways in  conversation,  172;  cannot 
be  shown  by  marks,  307-308 ;  chiefly 
intellectual,  228 ;  developed  by  vary- 
ing attitude  of  mind,  182,  by  definite 
thinking,  178,  182-183;  direction  of, 
shows  speaker's  attitude  of  mind, 
173;  rising,  173,  falling,  173;  element 
of  melodic  form,  184;  exegetical 
value  of,  in  parable  of  talents,  177, 
183 ;  illustrated  by  2  Corinthians  xi., 
22-29,  175-176;  importance  and 
number  of,  177,  183;  length  of, 
shows  degree  of  intensity,  178; 
abruptness  in,  shows  excitement, 
and  control,  179;  more  emphatic 
with  pause,  260;  nature  and  mean- 
ing of,  172-173;  necessary  to  ac- 
centuation of  form,  264;  needed 
in  prayer,  180 ;  not  affected  by  feel- 
ing, 228 ;  not  determined  by  phrase- 
ology, 173-174 ;  primary  method  of 
emphasis,  265  ;  united  to  color,  228 ; 
straightness  of,  181 ;  varied,  178-182; 
see  Melody,  Emphasis,  Modulations. 

Instinct,  assimilative,  238;  dramatic, 
233-243 ;  imagination  and  sympathy 
in,  234-236 ;  logical,  168 ;  settles  many 
questions,  241 ;  must  be  trusted,  362- 
363 ;  see  Dramatic,  Epic. 

Instruction,  basis  of  oratory,  73;  Paul 
before  Agrippa,  73,  at  Athens,  74; 
see  Didactic. 

Intellect,  meaning  of,  228-229. 

Introductory  exercises,  shows  neglect 
of  worship,  21-22. 

Intuition,  must  be  trusted,  327,  362-363. 

Irving,  epic  in  "  Dr.  Primrose,"  107. 

Interpretation,  art  needed  in,  46,  117- 
119;  of  Parable  of  Prodigal  Son, 
121-132 ;  literary  study  needed  for 
(iv.) ,  43-58 ;  demands  sympathy,  57 ; 
dramatic  (x.) ,  93-103 ;  illustrated  by 
Psalm  xxiii.,  47,  xc.,  51,  Book  of 
Job,  50;  must  show  method,  168; 


376 


INDEX 


needs  epic  spirit,  104-116;  function 
of  vocal,  134 ;  of  didactic,  68-70 ;  of 
indignation,  76;  of  oratoric,  73;  of 
rebuke,  75;  of  tenderness,  77;  see 
Expression,  Reading,  Vocal  Expres- 
sion. 

Isaiah,  call  of,  illustrates  change  of 
pitch,  164;  character  of,  72;  con- 
trast in  rhythm,  147 ;  imagination  of, 
215,  227-228 ;  oratory  of,  72,  77-82 ; 
on  Assyria,  80-81;  passion  of,  79; 
tenderness  of,  77,  81;  transition  in, 
271;  i.  1-2,  147,  271;  v.  1-25,  ix. 
8,  x.  1-4,  v.  26-30,  78-80 ;  v.  7,  176 ; 
vi.,  164-165;  viii.  13,  312;  x.  1-4, 
179;  xxviii.,  222;  xxix.,  80-81;  xxx., 
80;  xl.,  226-227;  xl.  15,  252. 

James,  illustrates  colloquial,  70 ;  i.  12- 
19,  181 ;  i.  13,  250 ;  ii.  1-13,  195-196 ; 
ii.  3,  250;  ii.  14-26,  70;  ii.  18,  273; 
iii.,  70,  273. 

Jehovah,  lesson  of,  to  Elijah  (i  Kings 
xix.),243. 

Jeremiah,  experience  of,  in  Psalm 
lv.,  219-220;  i.  1-3,  272;  xvii.  5-8, 
275;  xxviii. 

Jerusalem,  Isaiah's  orations  to,  78-81. 

Jesus,  bearing  of,  120;  climax  of 
oratory,  82 ;  delivery  of,  120-121 ; 
dialogue  with  Simon,  97;  his  per- 
suasion, 82 ;  variety  of  his  emotions, 
114-115;  see  Master. 

Jezebel,  words  of,  dramatic,  242. 

Job,  Book  of,  theme  in,  95 ;  dramatic, 
95 ;  necessity  of  literary  study,  shown 
by,  xiv.  i-i2,  50,  51;  i.  15,  313; 
xxviii.,  201-202;  xxxviii.  1-11,155. 

John,  range  of  voice  in,  viii.,  193 ;  unity 
of  modulations  in,  ix.,  275-283 ;  iii. 
16,  272-273 ;  iv.,  182,  253-254 ;  v.  33, 
304;  vii.  38,  302;  viii.  12-59,  272; 
viii.  31-59,  192-193 ;  ix.,  275-283 ;  ix. 
34-35,  109;  x.  1-18,  147;  xiv.  i-4, 
147,  291;  xx.  11-18,  267-268;  xxi. 
I5-1?,  39,  153.  180,  255-256,  305. 

I  John  iii.  3,  191. 

Jonah,  a  poetic  book,  84-85 ;  interpre- 
tation of,  85 ;  misunderstood,  84-85. 


Joshua,  reading  of  the  Law,  17;  viii. 

34-35,  17- 
Justin  Martyr,  on  early  worship,  19. 

Key,  change  of,  at  close  of  story  of 
Naaman,  66,  115;  in  epic  transition, 
109,  116;  in  passing  from  negative 
to  positive,  207 ;  in  i  Corinthians  xv. 
58,  170;  see  Change  of  Pitch. 

King  Lear,  true,  49. 

1  Kings  xviii-xix.,  289,  107-108 ;  241- 
243,  xviii.  18-38,  107 ;  xviii.  27,  102, 
107,  181 ;  xix.,  242. 

2  Kings  v.,  62-66;  v.  25-27,  115. 

Language,  mastery  of,  helps  thought, 
361-362 ;  nature  of,  43 ;  necessary  to 
accentuate  thinking  and  feeling,  140. 

Lazarus,  epic  elements  in  story  of,  113. 

Leader,  first  words  of,  important,  339- 
340 ;  important  in  responsive  reading, 
330;  must  have  rhythm,  330;  must 
lead  in  responsive  reading,  330. 

Lectionaries,  Jewish,  17-19 ;  influenced 
canon,  19. 

Lepers,  ten,  Luke  xvii.  11-20,  268. 

Lesson,  Scripture,  distinct  from  sermon 
and  prayer,  10-12;  favorite  to  be 
chosen  to  illustrate  all  principles, 
Preface,  vii. ;  importance  of  right  ar- 
rangement, 288-290;  must  be  spir- 
itually realized,  295-297 ;  preparation 
of  (xxviii.),  293-297;  preparation  of, 
specially  needed,  293-297 ;  selection 
and  arrangement  of  (xxvii.),  287- 
292;  should  not  always  be  of  the 
same  length,  291 ;  should  be  ar- 
ranged by  each  reader  for  himself, 
288 ;  unity  of,  illustrated  by  story  of 
Abraham,  288-289,  Elijah,  289-290; 
Paul  and  Peter,  290. 

Literal,  poor  reading  makes  all,  326. 

Literary,  forms  of,  not  artificial,  133, 
compared,  133;  relation  to  voice, 
I34-I3S;  sPirit  (fr.)i  43-58;  and 
vocal  expression,  133-136;  study 
necessary,  shown  by  Job  xiv.  1-12, 
50-51 ;  Psalm  xxiii.,  47-48  ;  Psalm  xc., 
51;  Isaiah  xl.,  359-360;  study,  356, 


INDEX 


377 


how  related  to  critical  and  devo- 
tional, 359-360,  may  be  artificial,  50, 
not  sufficient,  55. 

Literature,  all  sacred,  48 ;  implies  hu- 
man voice,  134 ;  natural,  133 ;  of 
power,  213 ;  spirit  of,  in  Bible,  43-58. 

Liturgies,  should  be  studied,  340. 

Logic,  gives  laws  to  reading,  151 ;  basis 
in  method  (xviii.),  167-171;  instinct, 
168 ;  governs  vocal  expression,  174 ; 
inflection,  language  of,  172. 

Lord's  Prayer,  how  rendered  in  the 
service,  345;  repetition  should  be 
rhythmic,  344,  345. 

Lost  piece  of  money,  Luke  xv.  8,  Biblical 
custom  in,  296-297. 

Lost  sheep,  parable  of,  analyzed,  26-27. 

Loudness,  abnormal,  320,  321,  322. 

Lowth,  Robert,  discovered  parallel- 
isms, 88. 

Luke,  Book  of,  a  letter,  67;  dialogue 
in,  vii.,  97 ;  dramatic  movement  in, 
253;  ePic  elements  in,  113;  method 
and  melody  in,  187-189;  ii.  16,  146; 
ii.  41-52,  253 ;  iii.  23-38,  287 ;  iv.  i- 
15,  iio-in  ;  iv.  16-30,  18  ;  vi.  20-49, 
212;  vii.  11-16,  226;  vii.  36-50,  97, 
233;  vii.  47,  183;  vii.  41,  42,  274; 
viii.  16,  176;  ix.  28-45,  199-200; 
x-  2S-37.  187-189;  xiii.  31-35,  82; 
xv.  1-2,  26;  xv.  1-7,  26-31,  240; 
xv.  11-32,  6,  55,  121-132;  xvi.  19-31, 
113;  xvii.  11-20,  250-268  ;  xvii.  20,8; 
xviii.  9-14,  238-239;  xix.  i-io,  256; 
xxiii.  39-43,  98;  xxiv.  13-35,  249; 
xxiv.  31-32,  98. 

Lyric,  always  rhythmic,  86 ;  compared 
with  epic,  135-136 ;  concise,  87 ;  de- 
fined, 86 ;  elements  of,  88 ;  expres- 
sion of  Biblical,  90-91 ;  dangers  in 
reading,  91,  92 ;  great,  Watts-Dunton 
on,  87 ;  ignoble  emotions  in,  91 ; 
musical  instrument  in,  87 ;  origin  of, 
86-87;  parallelism  as  rhythm  in,  90; 
prayer  a  form  of,  87 ;  sincerity  and 
unconsciousness  of  Hebrew,  87-88 ; 
spirit  (ix.),  86-92;  transitions  in,  91 ; 
see  Imagination,  Dramatic,  Epic, 
Psalms. 


Macbeth,  motive  of,  72. 

Male/actors,  account  of,  dramatic, 
Luke  xxiii.  39-43,  98. 

Mark  i.  35,  153;  iii.  35,  174;  iv.  21, 
36,  176;  x.  17-22,  98;  xii.  1-12, 
256. 

Marking,  for  emphasis,  305-306;  in- 
adequate, 307 ;  cannot  show  color 
and  movement,  308  ;  only  temporary, 
308. 

Mary,  in  the  Garden,  transitions,  267- 
268. 

Master,  art  of  (xii.),  117-132;  charac- 
teristics of  his  delivery,  120;  com- 
pelled to  use  art,  117-119;  see  Jesus. 

Matthew  iv.,  contrast  of  devil  and 
Christ,  196 ;  v.,  vi.,  vii.,  Sermon  on 
Mount,  202-211;  xi.,  transition  in, 
272;  importance  of  inflection,  177; 
xxvi.,  36-46;  passion  in  Geth- 
semane,  232-233;  i.  21,  304;  ii.  6, 
300;  iii.  1-4,  269;  iv.  i-n,  196;  v. 
1-3,  203 ;  v.  1-9,  148 ;  v.,  vi.,  vii.,  202- 
212;  vi.  9-13, 344-345 ;  vi.i-6;  19-23, 
274;  vii.  27,  153;  vii.  28-29,  I2o;  x. 
21,  302  ;  xi.  1-6,  272;  xii.  18-21, 147; 
xxiii.  13-38,  179;  xxv.  14-31,  177; 
xxv.  33-35,  75,  199;  xxvi,  36-46,  232; 
xxvi.  56,  101 ;  xxvii.  ii,  303. 

Meditation,  silent,  before  service,  342- 
343;  part  of  preparation,  295;  shown 
by  emphatic  pause,  265. 

Melody,  and  method  in  good  Samari- 
tan, 187-189;  elements  of,  184-185; 
extended  in  earnestness,  186-187; 
relation  to  emphatic  pause  and 
rhythm,  187 ;  inflection  and  change 
of  pitch  in,  264 ;  see  Change  of 
Pitch,  Inflection,  Range. 

Mental  actions,  how  accentuated,  140. 

Method,  explained,  167-168;  in  think- 
ing (xviii),  167-171;  instinct  of,  in 
vocal  expression,  168 ;  pause  in  rela- 
tion to,  187. 

Micah,  dramatic  elements  in,  95;  vii. 
ii,  312. 

Mill,  John  Stuart,  on  languages,  305. 

Ministerial  tunes,  193-196;  attention 
must  be  accentuated  to  correct,  193 ; 


378 


INDEX 


cause  of,  260 ;  central  ideas  must  be 
accentuated,  194;  corrected  by  ac- 
centuating thinking,  193,  by  touch, 
149;  dialogues,  196 ;  emphatic  pause 
tends  to  correct,  194;  perversion 
of  form  and  color,  228 ;  feeling  usurps 
place  of  thought  in,  260;  frequent, 
193 ;  genuineness  needed,  195 ;  mean- 
ingless changes  of  pitch,  195 ;  mis- 
use of  inflection,  194 ;  must  not  be 
feared,  194 ;  purpose  aids  in  curing, 
194;  range  of  voice  must  be  in- 
creased, 194 ;  rhythm  at  expense  of 
melody,  195  ;  shows  weakness,  323 ; 
lack  subordination,  194. 

Miriam,  song  of,  90 ;  instrument  of,  87. 

Modulations  of  voice,  abridged  explana- 
tion of,  24-25 ;  actions  of  mind,  cause 
of,  143;  all  united,  259-283;  and 
their  relations,  257-283 ;  combined  for 
emphasis,  263-264 ;  complement  each 
other,  357-358;  emphasis  result  of 
their  accentuation,  263-268 ;  enumer- 
ated and  denned,  24-30;  how  to  dis- 
cover, 24-25 ;  increase  in  one  requires 
increase  in  others,  320-321 ;  nature 
and  relations  in  John  ix.,  275-283 ; 
practised  to  show  contrast  in,  Psalm 
i.,  171 ;  rhythmic,  143-155 ;  should  be 
practised  together,  270;  simultane- 
ous, 307;  summarized,  259-261;  their 
union,  tests,  power,  and  expression, 
320;  unity  of,  cannot  be  shown  by 
marks,  307-308 ;  unity  of,  shown  by 
John  ix.,  275-283;  see  Expression, 
Movement,  Reading,  Unity,  Vocal 
Expression. 

Monologue,  Psalm  xc.,  51-52. 

Monotony,  corrected  by  change  of  pitch, 
161,  by  pause,  145,  156,  by  thinking, 
161,  182 ;  danger  of,  in  reading  lyric 
poetry,  92 ;  in  Scripture  reading,  161 ; 
in  prayer,  8-9 ;  in  service,  cause  of, 
337;  of  movement,  269 ;  of  pitch,  156; 
of  thinking,  156 ;  removed  by  ac- 
centuating discrimination,  156-157; 
sameness,  319-320 ;  see  Faults,  Min- 
isterial Tunes. 

Monroe,  on  Bible  reading,  12. 


Moses,  call  of,  Exodus  Hi.,  113 ;  Psalm 
xc.,  gives  experience  of,  51-52. 

Movement  (xxv.),  244-257;  brings 
whole  lesson  into  unity,  256 ;  change 
of,  170 ;  defined,  244-245 ;  of  every 
clause,  thought,  and  feeling,  255 ;  not 
time,  244-246 ;  emphasizes  clause  or 
sentence,  247,  268 ;  fundamental  ele- 
ment in  delivery,  247;  harmonizes 
voice  modulations,  260-261;  illus- 
trated by  Acts  i.  6,  250,  application 
of  parables,  256,  appeal  to  Peter,  254, 
comparisons,  248,  i  Corinthians  xv. 
35-49,  248,  death  of  Sapphira,  255, 
Deuteronomy  xxxiii.  34,  255-256, 
dialogue  or  characters,  253-254, 
Emmaus,  journey  to,  249,  Ezekiel 
xxxvii.  i-io,  249-250,  figures  and 
thought,  248,  Galatians  i.  i,  252, 
Hosea  xiii.  3,  253,  xiv.  5-8,  253, 
introduction  to  parables,  257,  Isaiah 
xl.  15,  253,  James  i.  13,  ii.  3,  251, 
John  xxi.  15-18,  305,  lepers,  250, 
Luke  ii.  41-52,  253,  xvii.  11-19, 
249,  xix.  i-io,  250,  xxiv.  13-35,  249. 
narration,  253,  parenthesis,  251, 
quotation,  250,  regret,  255,  similes 
and  metaphors,  252,  sublimity,  255, 
wonder,  249-250,  Zacchaeus,  256; 
importance  of,  247;  interprets  illus- 
trations and  contrasts,  248 ;  mean- 
ing of,  244-246;  more  than  transi- 
tion, 255;  musing  different  from 
thinking,  141 ;  often  overlooked, 
256;  relation  to  other  modulations, 
260-261;  rhythm,  chief  element  of, 
244-246 ;  shown  by  waves,  244-245 ; 
by  walk,  245 ;  transitions  shown  by, 
255 ;  united  to  tone-color,  268—269. 

Naaman,  story  of,  analyzed,  62-66. 

Name,  ineffable,  366-367. 

Narrative  Spirit  (v.),  59-66. 

Nathan,  epic  element  in  story  of,  log- 
no;  rebuke  of,  75. 

Natural,  languages,  necessary,  140. 

Naturalness,  based  on  conversation, 
6  ;  change  of  pitch,  160-166  ;  conver- 
sational form,  186-187 ;  depends  on 


INDEX 


379 


melodic  form,  186;  enlargement  in 
proportion,  34 ;  epistle  of  James,  70 ; 
perversion  of  the  word,  362. 

Nature,  universal  rhythm  in,  141. 

Nazareth,  Jesus  at,  18. 

Negative,  accidental,  241 ;  "  but "  in 
Sermon  on  Mount  shows  contrasts, 
207;  contrast  with  positive,  shown 
by  direction  of  inflection,  176 ;  dan- 
ger of,  in  didactic  reading,  69 ;  must 
be  distinguished  from  positive,  240. 

Neglect,  of  Scripture  reading,  21-23 ! 
of  preparation,  296. 

Nehemiah,  reading  Law,  17 ;  viii.  8,  17. 

Neutrality,  corrected  by  imagination 
and  sympathy,  235-236;  danger  of, 
in  didactic  reading,  69;  destroys 
feeling,  Acts  vii.  235. 

Nicodemus,  end  of  Christ's  speech  to, 

273. 

Nouns,  and  pronouns,  repeated  in 
Hebrew,  312, 

Old  sermons,  effect  of,  in  preaching, 
294. 

Omissions,  in  arranging  Scripture  les- 
sons, 289;  necessary  in  some  lessons, 
288 ;  phrases,  288-289. 

Orations  of  Isaiah,  patriotic,  80-81. 

Oratory,  as  an  art,  72-73 ;  Bible  full  of, 
71-72;  expanded  conversation,  6; 
must  influence  audience,  72-73; 
must  not  be  antagonistic,  74 ;  of 
Isaiah,  78-82;  of  the  Master,  82;  of 
Paul,  73-75 ;  purpose  in,  73 ;  spirit 
of  (vii.),  71-82. 

Pantomime,  affects  vocal  expression, 
334,  345 ;  attitudes  contrasted  with 
gesture,  334,  335 ;  see  Gesture. 

Parable,  application  of,  275,  and  should 
be  studied  as  art,  118-119;  different 
from  illustration,  274 ;  dramatic,  96- 
97 ;  introduction  to,  256 ;  must  not  be 
strained,  131;  nature  of,  explained, 
120-132;  necessity  of,  in  human 
teaching,  83 ;  of  Prodigal  Son,  mis- 
named, 121,  illustrates  epic,  121, 
expression  of,  analyzed,  121-132;  of 


vineyard,  movement  of,  Mark  xii. 
1-12,  256;  poetic,  54;  should  have 
unity  in  delivery,  188 ;  see  Art. 

Paragraphs  should  be  made  by  the 
reader  himself,  292. 

Parallelisms,  discriminations  of,  in 
Psalm  cxxxix.  5,  89;  form  of  rhythm, 
88-89,  3*5 1  emotional  transitions  of, 
89;  Ewald  on,  52-53;  importance  of, 
52 ;  in  Hebrew  poetry,  help  of,  52-53 ; 
not  all  elements  enumerated,  80-89; 
Lowth,  Robert,  discovered,  88; 
principle  of,  shown  in  Tennyson's 
"  Crossing  the  Bar,"  315. 

Parenthesis,  shown  by  movement,  251- 
252 ;  subtle  discriminations  of  Psalm 
xci.  in,  157-158. 

Passion,  in  Hebrew  poetry,  314;  of 
David  over  Absalom,  232. 

Pathos,  strong  or  weak,  321,  36. 

Paul,  address  at  Athens,  74;  arrest  of, 
Acts  xxi.  i5-xxiii.  n,  290 ;  aroused  his 
audience,  Acts  xxiii.  i-io,  74 ;  before 
Agrippa,  Acts  xxvi.,  73 ;  his  method 
of  introducing  speeches,  73-74 ;  illus- 
trations of,  169-170 ;  letters  of,  didac- 
tic, 67-68,  read  in  different  churches, 
18;  method  of,  169-170;  spirit  of 
oratory  in,  73-75. 

Pause,  element  of  rhythm,  144;  as  a 
remedy  for  monotony,  145 ;  con- 
tinuity of  thought,  146;  emphatic, 
147 ;  how  to  increase  number,  147 ; 
intimately  related  to  inflection,  260; 
justified  by  change  of  pitch,  162; 
long  needed  in  epic  transition,  115 ; 
necessary  for  breathing,  146;  for 
feeling,  146 ;  not  hesitation  145 ; 
problems  in,  147-148. 

Perowne,  on  Psalm  xix.,  199. 

Persuasion,  examples  of,  in  Isaiah,  82. 

Peter,  abrupt  inflections  of,  180 ;  appeal 
of,  to  the  Master,  John  xxi.,  illus- 
trating movement,  254-255 ;  arrest 
and  deliverance  of,  lesson  on,  290; 
impersonated  because  of  lack  of 
sympathy,  99. 

/  Peter  ii.  7,  302. 

Pharisee  and  publican^  prayers,  dra- 


INDEX 


matic  instinct  in,  Luke  xviii.  9-14, 
238-239. 

Phrasing,  actions  of  mind  determine, 
152;  effect  of  thinking,  150;  ele- 
ments [in,  151;  explained,  150;  logic 
governs,  151 ;  natural  in  conversa- 
tion, 150;  rules  no  help  in,  151. 

Pictures,  in  Psalms  and  Prophets,  214. 

Poetry,  dramatic,  52,  94 ;  forms  of,  104 ; 
in  Psalm  xxiii.,  47;  Psalm  xc.,  51; 
half  of  Bible,  49;  Hebrew,  difficulty 
of  reading,  314 ;  must  be  studied,  47, 
51-52,  85  ;  not  in  literary  phraseology, 
54;  of  Bible  not  distinguished,  54- 
55 ;  parables,  54-55 ;  see  Literature, 
Imagination. 

Point  of  view,  importance  of,  in  dra- 
matic instinct,  98  ;  necessary  in  dia- 
logues, 253-254 ;  question  of,  in  case 
of  Elijah,  101 ;  of  race  in  epic,  108. 

Positive,  and  negative,  sympathy  in, 
must  be  distinguished,  Matthew  v., 
240 ;  see  Negative. 

Postponement,  indicates  emphasis  in 
Greek,  301-302 ;  in  Hebrew,  312. 

Practice,  for  argument,  187 ;  for  change 
of  pitch,  157,  162,  164;  for  direction 
and  length  of  inflection,  175-179 ;  for 
epic  and  dramatic,  Parable  of  Prod- 
igal Son,  121-131;  for  movement, 
248-256;  for  range,  191-195;  for 
rhythm,  147-150;  for  subordination, 
189;  for  tone-color,  230-232;  for 
union  of  modulations,  John  ix.,  275- 
282;  for  variety  of  feeling,  231;  for 
variety  of  inflections,  180;  must  not 
be  thoughtless,  317 ;  see  illustrations 
at  close  of  all  lessons ;  these  can  be 
easily  arranged  into  definite  prob- 
lems and  exercises. 

Prayer,  attitude  of,  7-8 ;  belongs  to 
vocal  expression,  9-10,  349-350 ;  con- 
templative, 338 ;  lyric,  9 ;  nature  of, 
6,  10,  349,  350 ;  of  Pharisee  and  pub- 
lican (Luke  xviii.  9-14) ,  240 ;  peculiar 
in  delivery,  8-10 ;  relation  to  rest  of 
service,  338;  requires  thought,  180; 
spiritual,  349-350;  subjective,  9-10; 
see  Epic,  Lyric,  Service. 


Prayer-book,  address  to  the  people,  343 ; 
alternate  sentences,  349 ;  command- 
ments, 350;  declaration,  344;  de- 
scription of,  349-350;  Epistles  and 
Gospels,  350;  general  confession, 
343 ;  history  of,  340,  349-350 ;  Lord's 
Prayer,  how  rendered,  343 ;  prayer, 
349-350 ;  reading  of  the  Psalter,  345- 
346;  repetition  of  the  Creed,  348- 
349 ;  right  to  change,  341 ;  Scripture 
lesson  in,  347-348  ;  service  analyzed, 
340-354;  should  be  .consulted  in 
selection  of  lessons,  288 ;  should  be 
studied  by  all,  340, 352 ;  transition  after 
the  Commandments,  351 ;  transition 
from  Old  Testament  to  New  Testa- 
ment lesson,  348 ;  two  faults  in  ren- 
dering of,  351 ;  Wesley,  for  the 
Methodists,  341. 

Preacher,  offices  of,  in  worship,  I ;  de- 
livery of,  5-6,  230 ;  final  appeal  of,  to 
the  Bible,  355  ;  see  Delivery. 

Precedence,  indicates  emphasis  in 
Greek,  298-300;  in  Hebrew,  311. 

Preparation  of  Lesson,  xxviii.,  293-297 ; 
first  step,  selection,  287;  must  be 
renewed,  294;  necessary,  295,  363; 
neglected,  293-294;  reader  should 
not  remain  in  attitude  of,  361-362; 
should  be  thorough,  295-296. 

Problems,  see  Practice. 

Prodigal  Son,  parable  of,  art  of  Master 
shown  by,  121-132 ;  attitude  of  mind 
illustrated  in,  239;  centre  of,  126, 
129;  poetic,  55. 

Pronouns,  expressed,  for  emphasis  in 
Greek,  303-304;  in  Hebrew,  363. 

Prophets,  dramatic  element  in,  96; 
speeches  of  Is.  xxviii.,  223-223;  of 
Isaiah  xxx.,  31 ;  function  of,  71-72. 

Proverbs,  illustration  of  didactic,  67-70 ; 
not  cold,  69;  should  be  read  se- 
riously, 69;  thinking  should  be  ac- 
centuated in,  67;  i.  9,  252. 

Psalms,  develop  tone-color,  316;  dis- 
crimination of  ideas  illustrated  by, 
Ixxxiv.  n,  162;  by  xci.,  157-158; 
xcvii.,  161-162;  cii.  6,  7,  162;  civ., 
162 ;  headings  of,  216-217 ;  imagina- 


INDEX 


381 


tion  needed,  214-223;  necessity  of 
literary  study  illustrated  by  figures  of 
Psalm  xxiii.,  47-48;  by  dramatic  ele- 
ment in  Psalm  xc.,  51-52;  illustra- 
tions of,  important,  215-223;  illus- 
trated by  xxxiv.,  217 ;  xlvi.,  217;  lv., 
219-220;  civ.  7,  8,  219;  personal, 
illustrated  by  xci.  and  cxxxix.,  221; 
vocal  expression  of,  accentuates 
rhythm  of  thinking  and  feeling,  89, 
90;  i.  28,  171,  218;  viii.,  148;  xix., 
197-199;  xxiii.  47-48,  150;  xxvii.  2, 
313 ;  xxxiv.,  217 ;  xlvi.,  218 ;  lv.  5-8, 
220;  Ixv.,  154;  Ixxxiv.,  45,  147,  166; 
Ixxxiv.  ii,  162 ;  xc.,  51,  52  ;  xci.,  157- 
159,  220;  xcvii.  2,  161-162,  313 ;  cii., 
6-7,  162;  cii.  25-27,  149;  civ.,  162, 
219;  civ.,  7-8,  219;  cxvi.,  149;  cxxv., 
1-3,  155 ;  cxxxix.,  221 ;  cxxxix.  5,  89 ; 
cxlvi.,  9-10, 149 ;  cxlvii.,  2-5,  149 ;  see 
Problems,  Poetry,  Lyric. 
Psalter,  advantage  of,  to  the  reader, 
347 ;  danger  in  rendering,  346 ;  func- 
tion of,  346 ;  not  intellectual,  345, 346 ; 
peculiarity  of,  in  rendering  the  ser- 
vice, 345-346 ;  secures  attention,  347. 

Questions,  special,  in  Bible  Reading, 
xxxiii,  331-336. 

Quotation,  James  ii.  18,  273;  move- 
ment of,  251;  dramatic,  243;  from 
David  not  sympathetic,  no;  from 
Satan,  in;  see  Dramatic,  Epic, 
and  Movement. 

"  Rabboni"  as  uttered  by  Mary,  268. 

Range  of  voice,  needed,  191 ;  illustrated, 
John  viii.  31-39,  192;  increased  by 
earnestness,  186-187 ;  in  speech,  191- 
193 ;  relieves  voice,  191. 

Reader's  attitude  (xxxv.) ,  355-367. 

Reading  aloud,  test  of  good  version, 
309 ;  at  prayer  and  conference  meet- 
ings, 328 ;  before  Bible  was  printed, 
20-21;  first  words  important  in,  339; 
good,  shown  by  strength,  321,  by 
truthfulness,  318,  by  unity,  319-320 ; 
of  Bible,  danger  in,  270,  importance 
of,  214 ;  important  in  early  church, 


19-20;  nature  of,  10-16,  347,  348; 
peculiar,  31-39;  poor,  described, 
150 ;  see  Scripture  Reading. 

Rebuke,  how  those  of  Bible  are  given, 
76;  Nathan's  of  David,  75,  109; 
epic,  no. 

Repetition,  in  Greek,  303-304;  in  He- 
brew structure,  312-315;  indicating 
emphasis,  303. 

Repose,  how  shown  by  long  inflections, 
179 ;  test  of  good  reading,  324. 

Resonance  of  voice,  modulated  by  the 
sublime,  26. 

Responsive  reading  (xxxii.),  328-330; 
aid  to  preacher,  329;  arguments 
against,  329 ;  elements  of  rhythm  in, 
329-330;  importance  of,  329;  im- 
portance of  leadership  in,  330; 
peculiarities  of,  324, 329, 330 ;  Psalms 
and  poetical  books  best  adapted  for, 
328. 

Resurrection,  Paul's  discussion  of, 
169-170. 

Revised  Version,  poetic  books  of, 
poorly  translated,  332. 

Rhythm,  action  of  mind  in  (xiv.),  139- 
142 ;  characteristic  of  thinking,  140 ; 
defined,  89;  elements  of,  must  be 
emphasized  in  Old  Testament  read- 
ing, 316;  emphasis  in,  153 ;  exercises 
to  improve,  195-196;  first  element 
in  all  art,  315 ;  how  to  realize,  141- 
142;  illustrated  by  walk,  244-246, 
by  waves,  244-246;  importance  of, 
in  Hebrew,  315-316;  in  Prayer-book 
service,  341-354 ;  in  nature,  141 ;  in 
modulations  of  voice  (xv.),  143-155 ; 
in  responsive  reading,  329-330; 
modulations  of,  in  movement  the 
chief  method  of  emphasis,  268 ;  not 
to  be  feared,  195 ;  of  expression, 
caused  by  rhythm  of  mind,  143;  of 
Psalter,  345-346;  of  songs,  88-89; 
of  thinking,  154;  must  be  first  ac- 
centuated to  improve  delivery,  141, 
154 ;  pulsations  illustrated,  247-248 ; 
relation  to  melody,  187;  silence  in, 
143 ;  sing-song  a  fault  of,  163. 

Romans  viii.  i-n,  148 ;  x.  6-8,  8. 


382 


INDEX 


Salvini,  epic  in  Saul,  107. 

1  Samuel  xvii.  36,  311 ;  xxv.  24,  313. 

2  Samuel  xii.  1-15, 109-110;  xii.  7,  75 ; 
xvii.  5,  313 ;  xviii.  31-33,  150,  233. 

Sarcasm  shown  by  circumflex  inflec- 
tion, 181. 

Scripture  reading,  chief  peculiarity  of, 
12-16;  distinct  from  sermon  and 
prayer,  10,  16;  neglected,  21-22; 
preparation  neglected,  296;  special 
forms  of,  328-330 ;  see  Bible  Lesson. 

Selection,  and  arrangement  of  lesson 
(xxvii.),  287-292;  principles,  291. 

Self-criticism  (xxxi.),  317-327. 

Sennacherib,  Isaiah's  reference  to,  81. 

Sentences,  introductory,  delivery  of, 
341 ;  importance  of  rhythm  in,  341 ; 
use  of,  in  service,  341. 

Separation  in  Greek  indicates  empha- 
sis, 302. 

Sermon,  delivery  of,  3-6;  ideal,  4-6; 
on  the  Mount,  argument  of,  202- 

211. 

Service,  harmony  of  (xxxiv.),  337-354; 
dangers  in  reading,  351;  each  part 
of,  should  have  character,  338 ;  early 
Christian,  informal,  18;  emotion  in, 
must  be  genuine,  352;  importance 
of,  337- 

Shakespeare,  knowledge  of  Bible,  21 ; 
truth  of,  49. 

Sheep,  hundred,  parable  of,  26-28. 

Shepherd,  figure  of,  in  Psalm  xxiii.,  ex- 
plained, 47-48. 

Siddons,  Mrs.,  love  of  epic,  112. 

Silence,  and  speech,  when  rhythmic, 
143 ;  a  part  of  the  service,  342 ;  and 
opening  sentences,  342;  in  prayer, 
importance  of,  353;  as  part  of  ser- 
vice, 353. 

Similes  and  metaphors  shown  by 
movement,  252 ;  see  Illustration. 

Simplicity  a  test  of  art,  319. 

Sing-song  defined,  163. 

Situation,  in  Psalm  xxxiv.,  217;  in 
Psalm  xlvi.,  218 ;  of  epistles,  221 ;  of 
parables,  221. 

Smith,  George  Adam,  on  recognizing 
Biblical  poetry,  85 ;  on  Jonah,  84-85. 


Sodom,  destruction  of,  an  epic  story, 
115 ;  as  a  lesson,  288-289. 

Song  of  Solomon,  dramatic,  95. 

Speech  and  silence,  alternate  rhyth- 
mically, 143. 

Spencer,  Herbert,  on  economy  and 
style,  314. 

Spiritual,  can  only  be  suggested,  327 ; 
feeling  shown  by  pause  and  touch, 
154;  realization  of  message,  neces- 
sary, 295;  last  step  in  the  prepara- 
tion, 355-356. 

Spoken  word,  illustrated  by  the  inef- 
fable name,  366-367. 

Spurgeon,  reading  of  Bible,  333;  his 
commenting  on  the  Scriptures,  333. 

Story,  of  Abraham,  289;  of  Bible, 
popular,  61 ;  dramatic,  96 ;  of  Elijah, 
288-289 ;  how  to  tell,  60 ;  important 
in  literature,  59 ;  must  have  perspec- 
tive, 61 ;  must  move,  60,  61 ;  of 
Naaman,  2  Kings  v.,  62-66. 

Strong  man,  methods  of  expression  in, 
36,  321-336. 

Study,  of  Bible,  thorough,  needed,  46; 
three  kinds  of,  illustrated,  356,  360 ; 
all  necessary,  357;  see  Bible. 

Subjective,  Psalms,  90-91;  Scripture 
reading,  10-16 ;  prayer,  8-10. 

Sublimity,  interpreted  by  sympathy, 
243 ;  only  suggested,  325. 

Subordination,  and  attention,  190 ;  and 
emphatic  pause,  190,  260;  and 
thought,  190;  does  not  destroy 
melody  or  rhythm,  190;  gives  per- 
spective, 189-190;  importance  of, 
189 ;  illustrated  i  John  iii.  3,  191 ; 
lack  of,  causes  monotony,  189-190; 
often  violated,  189;  relation  to 
melody,  189. 

Sympathy,  and  assimilation  (xxiv.), 
233-243;  causes  words  of  David 
and  devil  to  be  given  dramatically, 
iio-in;  words  of  Peter,  99;  de- 
pends upon  imagination,  212;  dis- 
tinguishes positive  from  negative, 
240-241 ;  dramatic  and  epic,  Prodi- 
gal Son,  120-132,  degrees  of,  in,  98, 
in;  dramatic  may  be  antithetic  to 


INDEX 


383 


tnie,  98;  element  of  dramatic  in- 
stinct, 94,  233-243 ;  found  in  explan- 
atory clauses,  98-99;  genuine,  in 
epic,  99 ;  needed  in  sublimity,  244 ; 
instinct  of,  decides  many  questions, 
illustrated  by  Elijah,  241 ;  of  Jesus 
for  young  man,  how  shown,  98; 
precedes  impersonation,  98;  true, 
requires  man  to  be  himself,  98 ;  with 
another  age  necessary,  57. 
Synagogue,  readings  in,  17;  Christ  in 
the,  18. 

Talents,  parable  of,  inflection  in,  177. 

Temptation,  story  of,  epic  and  dramatic 
elements  in,  iio-in,  196. 

Tenderness,  in  Isaiah,  81 ;  not  senti- 
mental, 322  ;  more  difficult  to  express 
than  anger,  77. 

Tennyson,  "  Crossing  the  Bar,"  illus- 
trates Hebrew  parallelisms,  315 ;  on 
suggestiveness,  325. 

Testament,  Twentieth-century,  New, 
makes  arguments  of  epistles  clear, 
54.  333 1  Poor  in  parables,  54-55. 

Tests,  centrality,  324;  exaggeration, 
322-323;  ideality,  321-322;  organic 
unity,  319-320;  reading,  317-328; 
repose,  324;  self-criticism  (xxxii.), 
317-327;  simplicity,  319;  strength, 
321-322 ;  suggestiveness,  325 ;  truth- 
fulness, 318. 

Theories  hinder  Bible  reading,  44. 

Thinking,  accentuated  by  elements  of 
vocal  expression,  139;  attention  in, 
139;  can  be  accentuated,  139-140; 
different  from  musing,  141 ;  discrimi- 
nation in  (xvi.) ,  illustrated  by  Psalm 
xci.,  156-159,  Job  xxxviii.  i-n,  155 ; 
helped  by  expression,  264;  primary 
aim  of  language,  67 ;  rhythmic,  139- 
141;  rhythm  of,  made  conscious  in 
true  reading,  141-142 ;  tends  to  cor- 
rect faults  in  voice,  336. 

2  Timothy  iv.  5,  303. 

Tone-color,  cannot  be  marked,  308 ;  de- 
veloped by  practising  the  Psalms, 
316;  expresses  imagination,  226;  ex- 
presses feeling,  228,  231 ;  illustrated 


by  Mary  meeting  Jesus,  John  xxi.  n- 
18, 180;  by  Mary  in  the  Garden,  267- 
268 ;  by  story  of  Naaman,  62-66 ;  in 
emphasizing  one  word,  267;  language 
of  feeling,  225 ;  modulation  of  reso- 
nance, 225 ;  most  unconscious  ele- 
ment in  expression,  226;  not  often 
on  the  street,  226;  not  subject  to 
rule,  226  ;  unconscious,  225. 

Touch,  accentuating  of,  149-150;  be- 
longs to  rhythm,  144;  element  of 
naturalness,  149;  important  in 
Scripture  reading,  149;  illustrated, 
149-150;  least  changeable,  148;  lo- 
cates attention,  148;  meaning  of, 
148-149;  in  rhythmic  alternation  with 
pause,  148 ;  shows  will,  148. 

Tragedy,  why  high  form  of  dramatic, 
105 ;  why  epic  is  higher,  106. 

Transition,  abrupt,  requires  changes 
in  many  modulations,  270;  after 
commandments,  351;  Biblical  diffi- 
culties of  reading,  92;  delicate  in 
Psalm  cxxxix.  5,  89 ;  emphatic,  275  ; 
end  of  quotation,  272-273 ;  epic  in 
i  Kings  xix.,  242-243;  from  expla- 
nations to  Master's  words,  272;  ex- 
amples of,  275-283;  explanation  to 
quotation,  271  ;  expression  of,  270; 
from  parable  to  application,  275; 
Gospel  to  Epistle,  350;  illustration, 
James  iii.  3,  273 ;  illustrated  by  story 
of  Naaman,  62-66;  importance  of 
practising,  270-275 ;  in  Acts  i.  9  and 
iv.  12,  13,  272;  frequent  in  Bible, 
271 ;  in  epistles,  275 ;  in  Jeremiah  i. 
1-4,  272;  in  quotation,  272-273;  in 
Psalms,  91 ;  in  Prayer-book,  340- 
352;  in  service,  340-354;  law  of, 
271 ;  one  character  to  another,  272 ; 
prose  to  poetry,  90 ;  thought  to  illus- 
tration, James  iii.  13,  Matthew  vi. 
11-23,  273-274;  to  direct  address  of 
God,  91 ;  i  Corinthians  xiii.,  275. 

Translations  of  Bible,  difference  shown 
by  indication  of  argument,  Job 
xxviii.,  201-202;  new,  prevent  rever- 
ence for  letter,  333 ;  of  poetry,  poor, 
332- 


INDEX 


Truthfulness  of  feeling,  how  to  develop, 
231-232;  in  Psalm  xc.,  51-52;  de- 
veloped by  imagination,  232 ;  impor- 
tant, 227-229 ;  necessary  in  vocal 
expression,  295;  test  of  good  read- 
ing, 318. 

Unity,  a  test  for  self-criticism,  318 ;  a 
test  of  good  reading,  319;  of  all 
modulations,  320;  destroyed  by 
loudness,  321;  higher  in  epic  art, 
116;  how  developed,  320 ;  of  lesson, 
illustrated  by  account  of  Stephen's 
death,  200,  by  destruction  of  Sodom, 
288-289,  by  transfiguration,  199,  by 
Zacchaeus,  Luke  xix.,  256,  by  Elijah, 
289,  by  Paul,  290,  by  arrest  of  Peter, 
290;  importance  of,  in  arranging 
Scripture  lesson  (xxvii.) ,  287-292 ;  of 
modulations  illustrated  in  John  ix., 
275-283 ;  nature  of,  219-220 ;  service 
must  have,  339;  of  service,  how 
secured,  354. 

Unnaturalness,  nature  of,  261-262;  see 
Naturalness,  Faults. 

Variety,  developed  by  a  joyous  passage, 
166. 

Version,  advantages  of  Authorized,  331 ; 
disadvantages  in  verse  division,  291 ; 
Revised,  332,  American  Revised,  332 ; 
to  be  used,  331. 

Vision,  reader  must  have  his  own,  327. 

Vocal  expression,  of  allegoric,  135;  and 
literary  spirit  (xiii.),  133-136;  awak- 
ens faculties  and  life,  134;  can 
show  delicacy  of  Greek,  298-310,  of 
Hebrew,  311-316;  of  epic,  114,  136; 
function  of,  how  to  find,  Psalm  i., 
28-29;  nature  of,  24-39,  139-283; 
governed  by  logic,  151,  173;  helpful, 
364;  a  distinct  language,  152;  of  a 
language,  indicated  by  idioms,  304 ; 
in  responsive  reading,  peculiar,  323- 
330 ;  must  be  studied,  361 ;  needed, 
140,  309-310;  necessary  in  study  of 
Bible,  134 ;  needs  thorough  study  of 


literature,  135;  not  improved  by 
rules,  33,  but  by  accentuation  of 
thinking,  33-34;  peculiarities  of,  in 
every  language,  308 ;  of  prayer  diffi- 
cult, 349-350;  prayer  a  form  of,  9; 
personal,  and  peculiar  to  each  in- 
dividual, 32-33;  struggle  for,  best 
helps  emotion  and  mental  action, 
140;  thought  and  feeling  must  be 
living  in,  295 ;  truthfulness  in,  neces- 
sary as  in  words,  295;  see  Expres- 
sion, Modulations,  Reading, 

Vocal  interpretation,  climax  of  literary 
study,  56. 

Voice,  agility  of,  helped  by  free  think- 
ing, 192 ;  all  parts  should  be  brought 
into  reading,  191;  elements  in,  186, 
function  of,  185,  melody  belongs  to, 
185;  modulations,  259-283,  always 
united  in  expression,  259-283;  gen- 
eral nature  of,  24-39,  138-283 ;  unity 
of,  test  of  good  reading,  319 ;  good, 
danger  of  being  admired,  192;  has 
little  color  on  the  street,  225 ;  training 
should  be  separated  from  vocal  ex- 
pression, 336 ;  use  of  in  Bible  neces- 
sary, 366. 

Watts-Dunton  on  great  lyric,  quoted 

from  "  Encyclopaedia  Britannica,"  87. 

Weak  man,  methods  of  expression  in, 

321,  36. 

Wendell,  on  paragraphing,  292. 

Wesley,  liturgy  for  Methodists,  341. 

Whitefield,  sermons  unreadable,  5. 

Winter,  William,  on  art,  117. 

Wisdom  literature  didactic,  67-70. 

Words,  compared  with  vocal  expres- 
sion, 31-33;  different  from  modula- 
tion, 307 ;  search  for,  right  in  clear 
thinking,  140. 

Worship,  and  wonder,  213 ;  Bible  in  (i.) , 
1-16 ;  Bible  reading,  part  of,  335-356 ; 
three  elements  in  public,  3. 

Zacchceus,  story  of  illustrates  movement, 
Luke  xix.  i-io,  256. 


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